Cleveland Clinic announces “strategic alliance” with Community Health Systems

Community Health Systems (CHS) and Cleveland Clinic are teaming up in a strategic alliance to improve patient access, enhance quality of care and reduce costs, according to a March 11 announcement.

The two organizations will remain separate entities but focus on the following:

• Quality Alliance: Cleveland Clinic will assist CHS in establishing clinical integration programs at its affiliated hospitals through a Quality Alliance model in which physicians share best practices and capture, report and compare data to support predictive modeling for patient outcomes.
• Cardiovascular Services: Cleveland Clinic's Heart & Vascular Institute will collaborate and share its expertise with selected CHS-affiliated hospitals.
• Clinical and Operational Services: The organizations will explore other engagements, including telemedicine initiatives, second opinion services for physicians and patients, complex care coordination, etc.

Cleveland Clinic and CHS’ established relationships with physicians will enable greater opportunity for “broadened peer interaction to advance quality and create organizational connectedness,” the announcement stated. Also, it said in the future the two entities may pursue engagements on clinical research, shared innovations and population health management.