10 Years of Service: New miniVHAN Season Reflects on VHAN’s History

Coinciding with VHAN’s 10^th anniversary, the third season of the miniVHAN podcast looks back at the unique vision for VHAN and how the network launched amid a major transition in health care following the signing of the Affordable Care Act in 2010.

“It was clear that the value-based train was coming, and that risk was going to be shifted from the payors to the providers,” explained C. Wright Pinson, MD,  Chairman of VHAN, in the first miniVHAN episode of the new season. “We saw the mergers and acquisitions dominating the headlines, and we recognized that we needed some scale to deal with that piece. And so, like many other hospitals and health care systems, we began to think about our choices.”

While many health care executives began to think about how to navigate value-based care, it became clear that the options were to get bought out, buy other hospitals or health systems, or come together with like-minded hospitals, systems and doctors to create a value-based system in the form of a clinically-integrated network.

In December 2012, the first VHAN Board meeting was held with founding members from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Maury Regional Medical Center, NorthCrest Medical Center and Williamson Medical Center. Throughout the last decade, network members and VHAN staff have collaborated on cost savings, lower utilization, improved quality performance and other key aims that have improved the health and wellness of communities across the Southeast.

“I extend the phrase, ‘no man is an island’ to ‘no organization is an island,’ says Shari Rajoo, MD, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Population Health Service at Ballad Health. “There’s so much competition out there from organizations that move a lot faster than health care systems generally do that our practices and health systems really need VHAN’s interaction, communication, collaboration and sharing. The learning available through VHAN is incredible—it’s a brain trust that you can tap into. Honestly, I think the only way we can compete is to lean on each other.”

Here’s a brief snapshot of what to expect from the latest episodes of the miniVHAN podcast:

• Episode 1: Rearview Mirror: VHAN’s Early Days. Look back on the unique vision for VHAN and how the network set out to improve care outcomes across the Southeast.
• Episode 2: One Foot in Two Canoes: Transitioning to Value-Based Care. Explore how VHAN members are meeting patients where they are—and how they are navigating the dual fee-for-service and value-based care environment.
• Episode 3: The Road Ahead: A New Health Care Experience. From deciding how best to care for the next generation to navigating the latest in population health technology to partnering directly with employers to provide a new kind of health care experience, VHAN is contemplating endless possibilities for growth and transformation.
• Episode 4: BONUS EPISODE: Your Very Own Keckley Report. We spoke with Paul Keckley, health care policy analyst, widely known industry expert, and frequent speaker and advisor to health care organizations, to get his singular view of the health care landscape today and his thoughts on VHAN’s opportunities and responsibilities as a clinically integrated network.