IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZED DELIVERY SYSTEMS - AN INTEGRATION SCORECARD

Organized vertically integrated health systems are in a key position t o play a major role in present health care reform efforts. To demonstr ate a competitive advantage in the new health care environment, howeve r, integration efforts must be successful. Based on a national study o f nine organized delivery systems, this article develops measures of t hree types of integration that occur in vertically integrated health s ystems-functional, physician-system, and clinical. These measures can be used as a ''scorecard'' to assess progress toward achieving integra tion objectives.