Measuring and evaluating the performance of vertically integrated rural health networks.
The growing interest in health care networks is extraordinary given the lack of a common understanding of what networks are and what they can accomplish. The purpose of this article is to develop a conceptual approach to the study of vertically integrated rural health networks. This article provides a network typology, a framework for assessing network performance, and examples of measurable performance indicators. It concludes with a description of the salient research questions that need to be addressed concerning the relationships between the environment, structure, and performance of vertically integrated rural health networks.
Moscovice
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Institute for Health Services Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA.
Christianson
J B
JB
Wellever
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A
D003191:Comprehensive Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006302:Health Services Research; D008330:Management Audit / Q000379:methods*; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009935:Organizational Affiliation; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D012423:Rural Health / Q000592:standards*; D018511:Systems Integration; D014481:United States