Waterbury Health joins the trend

Waterbury HEALTH in Connecticut recently became part of an integrated delivery network set up by Brighton Health Plan Solutions, a New York-based company that brokers healthcare services between providers and employers.

In an integrated delivery network, or IDN, employees can receive their medical care exclusively from one health system. “IDNs have been around for some time,” said Robin Brand, senior director of research for The Advisory Board, a best practices research firm for the healthcare industry. “There’s been more interest in them in the past couple of years.”

One key feature of an IDN is that a patient’s care is better coordinated between providers that belong to the same network. From the patient’s perspective, it feels like a very different experience and the care is more integrated. And “if you have better coordination, you’re going to have fewer repeat tests or a lack of follow-up that could end up in higher costs down the line,” Brand said.

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