Payers and providers overcome distrust to create quality improvement partnerships

Historically, insurers and healthcare providers haven't had the most harmonious relationship. Competing business interests typically left representatives from each industry on opposite sides of the table.

In fact, Greg Maddrey, a director with The Chartis Group and leader of the firm's Value-Based Care group in Chicago, refers to the sometimes contentious relationship as a "war"?one that stretches back 30 to 40 years and includes any number of perceived slights that can fuel a decades-long grudge.

At the same time, healthcare providers are entering into structured quality partnerships that take aim at reducing healthcare costs and improving patient outcomes. This growing trend is due in part to the industry's push toward value-based payments, but it's also fraught with potential roadblocks, many of which stir up old feelings around long held dynamics.

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