How Collaboration Can Drastically Improve U.S. Health Care

Increased collaboration among hospitals in metropolitan areas of the country is one of the positive results of the Pandemic. Collaboration isn't limited to crises. It can be used to improve quality and reduce costs. The case in point is the collaboration between dozens of hospitals and physician organizations in Michigan that began in 1997. They have excelled in a number of areas, including cardiovascular care, bariatric surgery, blood clot prevention, general surgery, joint replacements, and urology.

Many have called for more competition in the United States to solve the rising prices and inconsistent quality of health care. Proponents argue that competition would force hospitals to deliver better care at a lower cost. The quality of care continues to vary dramatically between and within health systems, and studies suggest that competition might actually reduce quality and increase inequalities for patient populations deemed unprofitable.