UNDERSTANDING INTEGRATED RURAL HEALTH NETWORKS

In an era of constraints on public and private sector health care budg ets, organizational restructuring of hospital and physician practice, and the shifting of financial risk to patients and providers, rural he alth professionals and communities are grappling with the issue of how to assure access to a comprehensive and affordable set of health care services. In recent years, rural health providers have turned to the strategy of developing voluntary network relations as an alternative t o system or diversification strategies that entail ownership and manag ement by one entity. A systematic analysis of the cooperative efforts of selected providers results in a proposed definition of integrated r ural health networks and highlights critical aspects of their formatio n and development.