Health Care Markets as Interorganizational Fields: A Conceptual Perspective

1992 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larry D. Gamm

This paper examines the interorganizational (IO) field approach to the study of local health care markets. Art IO field conceptualization focuses attention on organizational behavior and interorganizational relations among providers and purchasers and other health care organizations relevant to the field. This perspective is suitable for guiding evaluations of the multiple effects of pro-competition or regulative interventions on health care markets.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh Alderwick ◽  
Andrew Hutchings ◽  
Adam Briggs ◽  
Nicholas Mays

Abstract Background Policymakers in many countries promote collaboration between health care organizations and other sectors as a route to improving population health. Local collaborations have been developed for decades. Yet little is known about the impact of cross-sector collaboration on health and health equity. Methods We carried out a systematic review of reviews to synthesize evidence on the health impacts of collaboration between local health care and non-health care organizations, and to understand the factors affecting how these partnerships functioned. We searched four databases and included 36 studies (reviews) in our review. We extracted data from these studies and used Nvivo 12 to help categorize the data. We assessed risk of bias in the studies using standardized tools. We used a narrative approach to synthesizing and reporting the data. Results The 36 studies we reviewed included evidence on varying forms of collaboration in diverse contexts. Some studies included data on collaborations with broad population health goals, such as preventing disease and reducing health inequalities. Others focused on collaborations with a narrower focus, such as better integration between health care and social services. Overall, there is little convincing evidence to suggest that collaboration between local health care and non-health care organizations improves health outcomes. Evidence of impact on health services is mixed. And evidence of impact on resource use and spending are limited and mixed. Despite this, many studies report on factors associated with better or worse collaboration. We grouped these into five domains: motivation and purpose, relationships and cultures, resources and capabilities, governance and leadership, and external factors. But data linking factors in these domains to collaboration outcomes is sparse. Conclusions In theory, collaboration between local health care and non-health care organizations might contribute to better population health. But we know little about which kinds of collaborations work, for whom, and in what contexts. The benefits of collaboration may be hard to deliver, hard to measure, and overestimated by policymakers. Ultimately, local collaborations should be understood within their macro-level political and economic context, and as one component within a wider system of factors and interventions interacting to shape population health.


2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Wachhaus

Combatting chronic disease (prevention and treatment of obesity, diabetes, heart health, and stroke) requires action at the local level, both to educate the public and to provide health services. Effective collaboration among local organizations devoted to educating the public about, and treating patients of, these diseases is a key component of successful health care. To better understand local efforts, a social network analysis of five local health care networks spanning eight counties in Maryland was conducted. The purpose of this exploratory research was to discover whether collaborative networks exist at the local level, to map the networks, and to assess their strengths and needs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 378-384
Author(s):  
Peter W. Grandjean ◽  
Burritt W. Hess ◽  
Nicholas Schwedock ◽  
Jackson O. Griggs ◽  
Paul M. Gordon

Kinesiology programs are well positioned to create and develop partnerships within the university, with local health care providers, and with the community to integrate and enhance the activities of professional training, community service, public health outreach, and collaborative research. Partnerships with medical and health care organizations may be structured to fulfill accreditation standards and the objectives of the “Exercise is Medicine®” initiative to improve public health through primary prevention. Barriers of scale, location, time, human resources, and funding can be overcome so all stakeholder benefits are much greater than the costs.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
pp. s2-s2
Author(s):  
P. Saaristo ◽  
T. Aloudat

On 12 January 2010, the fate of Haiti and its people shifted with the ground beneath them as the strongest earthquake in 200 years, and a series of powerful aftershocks demolished the capital and multiple areas throughout the southern coast in thirty seconds, leaving some 220,000 people dead, and 300,000 persons injured. On 27 February 2010, at 03:35 hours local time, an earthquake of magnitude 8.8 struck Chile. As a consequence, the tsunami generated affected a coastal strip of more than 500 kilometers. Approximately 1.5 million people were affected and thousands lost their homes and livelihoods. The emergency health response of the International Red Cross Movement to both disasters was immediate, powerful and dynamic. The IFRC deployed seven emergency response units (ERU) to Haiti: one 150-bed referral hospital, one Rapid Deployment Emergency Hospital, and five basic health care units. One surgical hospital and two Basic Health Care Units were deployed to Chile. The ERU system of the IFRC is a flexible and dynamic tool for emergency health response in shifting and challenging environments. Evaluations show that the system performs well during urban and rural disasters. Despite a very different baseline in the two contexts, the ERU system of IFRC can adapt to the local needs. As panorama of pathology in the aftermath of an earthquake changes, the ERU system adapts and continues supporting the local health care system in its recovery.


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