Department of International Business and Management, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania; and.
Department of Sociology/Anthropology, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, Shippensburg.
J Healthc Manag. 2021;66(2):141-154. doi: 10.1097/JHM-D-19-00245.
The formation of regional strategic alliances continues to be a well-evidenced response to a varying array of market forces that are challenging the ability of healthcare institutions to realize their missions. Organizations that serve rural communities especially feel pressure to initiate the formation of these collaborative arrangements.In response to concerns of Pennsylvania legislators regarding the impact of these alliances on rural healthcare entities, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania funded a study of outcomes of regional strategic alliances involving rural healthcare institutions. Although the research focused on outcomes, the data also revealed organizational characteristics and patterns of decisions and actions that separated rural healthcare institutions with greater alliance outcome success from their peers serving other rural communities. Strategic leadership and interorganizational management expertise serve as the foundation for decisions and actions beginning before an active search for an alliance and culminating with the achievement of alliance goals. Commitments to collaborative leadership, purposeful partnership, coordination, and progress thematically represent the series of critical decisions and actions collectively required to achieve strategic alliance success. The case of the Laurel Health System illustrates these commitments.Although the findings are based on an intensive review of regional strategic alliances involving rural healthcare institutions, the lessons presented here are transferable to community healthcare organizations regardless of location.
区域战略联盟的形成继续是对各种挑战医疗机构实现使命的市场力量的有力回应。特别是为农村社区服务的组织感到有压力要启动这些合作安排的形成。为回应宾夕法尼亚州立法者对这些联盟对农村医疗保健实体的影响的担忧，宾夕法尼亚农村中心为一项涉及农村医疗保健机构的区域战略联盟成果研究提供了资金。尽管研究重点是结果，但数据还揭示了组织特征以及决策和行动模式，这些模式将具有更大联盟成果成功的农村医疗保健机构与其为其他农村社区服务的同行区分开来。战略领导和组织间管理专业知识是决策和行动的基础，这些决策和行动始于积极寻求联盟之前，并以实现联盟目标而告终。对协作领导、有目的的伙伴关系、协调和主题上的进展的承诺共同代表了实现战略联盟成功所需的一系列关键决策和行动。 Laurel 卫生系统的案例说明了这些承诺。尽管这些发现是基于对涉及农村医疗保健机构的区域战略联盟的深入审查，但这里提出的经验教训可以转移到社区医疗保健组织，无论其位置如何。
