Question

In your own words describe two types of integrated delivery systems. 300 word minimum!!

Answer 1

Integrated Delivery Systems

Integrated Delivery System or IDS is an integrated system to achieve the coordination of the various health care institutions. This system is applied to coordinate the patient care provided in different hospitals rather than giving fragmented care. Integrated Delivery System is a network of healthcare facilities under a specific Corporate Body or under a  Parent Holding Company. It is a system that provides continuity of healthcare services. The continuity of care will help to improve the medical care quality at reduced costs. IDS allows maximum utilization of the resources without increasing the costs. The aim of IDS is to achieve the best clinical and cost outcomes for both patient and provider by avoiding duplications and maintaining the continuity of care.

The main types IDS are Horizontal Integrated Delivery System and Vertical Integrated Delivery System.

In Horizontal Integrated delivery system, the units that are at the similar levels of providing patient services are coordinated by one management organization, which will provide the coordination of activities across the operating units and thus will help in the consolidation of the available resources to increase efficiency and save costs. Many hospitals in a locality may form strategic alliances with neighboring hospitals and thus form local networks. May be individual physicians practising in the locality also join together to form horizontal integrated delivery system.

In Vertical Integrated delivery system, the units that are at different levels of providing patient services are coordinated by one management organization, to increase efficiency and to form large patient and provider pools. It will help to improve quality of care and provide the continuity of care at different levels. Academic medical centers, long term hospitals, home care institutions etc. may integrate together under vertical integrated system.

Integrated delivery system will help to avoid the unnecessary duplication of various procedures for diagnosis in different health care facilities. This will help in the cost reduction and improve the quality of care. Since the parent holding company or the Corporate Body will set the standards of care and monitor the progress, there will be improvement in the quality provided through out the integrated units. There will be standardized monitoring and enforcement tools. The reputations of all the participating units will be improved and there will be continuity of care for those who needed long term care at different levels of hospitals. IDS will help to avoid duplication in drug regimen too. A well coordinated medical record system will reduce the time to get history of the patient again in different hospitals. It will help in the proper communication between the health care provider and patient and avoid the miscommunication in the treatment history, the patient received in other hospitals.