Ovation Healthcare’s Chip Holmes, Executive Vice President, Hospital Operations, Erika Sundrud, Group Vice President, Advisory Management, David Turner, Executive Director, Vermont Collaborative Hospital Network, and Mark Harrel, Chief Executive Officer, Phelps Memorial Health Center, discuss the strategic advantage of neighboring hospitals creating collaboratives to share resources and gain the scale of a large health system, all while remaining independent.

They discuss various approaches to these networks from concept to engaging state associations and local government support, and enlisting strategic partners to provide infrastructure and advisement.

Key takeaways include:

• Collaboratives can help hospitals maintain independence without compromising on quality of care or services. Through independent healthcare networks, hospitals can leverage economies of scale to negotiate purchasing agreements, share resources, and improve care standards. By forming these networks, hospitals ensure their autonomy while strategically navigating industry challenges.
• Partnerships with state and local government can strengthen these alliances, which can be critical to the health and economic wellness of their communities.
• Enlisting a tertiary organization to support infrastructure and provide expert guidance can help ensure performance improvement within the health system and longevity for the alliance.