WK Joins Louisiana’s first statewide partnership for clinical integration

Willis-Knighton Health System, with four full-service acute care hospitals and a rehabilitation institute scheduled to open in early 2017, has signed a memorandum of understanding in a first of its kind statewide partnership to form a clinically integrated network that expands on the Health Leaders Network and its almost 1000 providers across Louisiana. More than 100,000 lives are currently under contract for management. These partner organizations will share quality data and focus on the changes in the healthcare industry calling for predictable and consistent outcomes.

Named Health Leaders Network Partners, the founding members are market leader organizations with track records for collaboration and high-quality, high-value care delivery. Willis-Knighton Health System, Shreveport-Bossier, (Willis-Knighton Medical Center, WK Pierremont Health Center, Willis-Knighton South & the Center for Women’s and Children’s Health, WK Rehabilitation Institute and WK Bossier Health Center) will collaborate with Woman’s Hospital, Baton Rouge and Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System whose member organizations include Our Lady of the Lake in Baton Rouge, Our Lady of Lourdes in Lafayette, St. Elizabeth Hospital in Gonzales, Our Lady of the Angels in Bogalusa, and St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe. Additional partners are expected to join this clinical integration partnership in the coming months.

The vision of Health Leaders Network Partners is for these community-focused, local healthcare organizations that share common values and performance expectations to join together in a structure to provide more value for patients. The goal of the Network Partners is to build upon the unique strengths of its members and share best practices to provide coordinated high-quality, safe, and personalized patient experiences. At the same time, the members also recognize that higher quality results in lower costs.

As an industry, healthcare is evolving toward greater collaboration between doctors and hospitals on behalf of patients. Clinical integration is the result of sharing and tracking broad data to identify best clinical practices that can improve effectiveness and clinical outcomes.

The combined service areas of the Health Leaders Network Partners represent access for the population of Louisiana in a way that maximizes the value to patients and local physicians. The structure assigns no ownership to the partners and is not considered any type of merger. Instead, the Health Leaders Network Partners organization derives greatest value from the local focus and leadership of its members who agree to work cooperatively with their partner organizations on behalf of patients.