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 The Western Connecticut Health Network Physician Hospital OrganizationWe’re growing! The WCHN PHO Board has amended its bylaws to expand the PHO provider network to include Norwalk Hospital and the interested members of its medical staff. Recruitment of interested physicians affiliated with Norwalk Hospital to be PHO Members will begin in March. The purpose of the PHO is to support WCHN, our Physician Members and their practices as we address the changing clinical, organizational and financial demands facing us. The WCHN PHO, formed in 2011, now encompasses all three affiliated hospitals of WCHN Danbury Hospital, New Milford Hospital and Norwalk Hospital, along with more than 430 physician members. The PHO has its own governing Board of Directors and an Executive Director to oversee operations. Director and Officer representation will be reviewed shortly to reflect the completion of the Norwalk Hospital affiliation. http://interactive.danburyhospital.org/Docline/documents/PHOBoard.pdf The PHO exists as a cornerstone element supporting WCHN’s strategies under the new realities of health care reform where health plans, employers and patients demand value. The realities of reform require not only new clinical integration strategies but new organizations and new structures. Our PHO aims to be a clinically and financially integrated organization structure that provides the highest quality patient care while insuring the financial stability necessary to sustain our goals. Our strategy of integration positions us to participate in risk sharing contracts and to become recognized as an Accountable Care Organization (ACO). In response to these new realities, the PHO fosters collaborative relationships with managed care health plans to improve the efficiency of the delivery of health care services provided through the PHO’s large network of medical services providers. The PHO has launched several initiatives and programs on behalf of its Members including contracting, practice support and education. The PHO utilizes various tools to model available utilization and financial data for analyses to support contract discussions. The PHO also utilizes various resources to support the administration of existing agreements and collaborates with the health plans to resolve issues that may arise. The PHO is also available to provide general contract administration advice to the individual practices upon request. While a major benefit of membership in the PHO is participation in the PHO’s Managed Care Agreements, other benefits include these practice support offerings:
For more on the WCHN PHO please contact Robert (Bob) Langley |