Our Annual Industry Survey: The Challenge to Collaborate

Healthcare leaders aren't sanguine about the current direction of the industry. Only 25% describe the healthcare industry as being on the right track, with 46% saying it's on the wrong track and 29% undecided. People are more positive about their own organizations, however; 66% say it's on the right track, with just 12% saying wrong track and another 21% undecided. Even so, that right track figure is down from 72% in last year's survey.

Coordination strategies
The absence of and the need for collaboration is seen in questions that explore not just the business of healthcare, but its clinical aspects as well.

• Care coordination and continuum of care represents the single greatest strategic challenge for clinical quality improvement, selected as top choice by 25%. Second choice, at 21%, is improving patient experience, including patient flow.
• Only 14% of leaders say their organization's care coordination is "very strong." Yes, 45% rate it as being "strong," but one-quarter (24%) can muster only a "neutral" rating and 17% cite it as being "weak" or "very weak."

More than half of respondents see accountable care organizations as worth pursuing, with 53% saying that their organization will be part of an ACO within the next three to five years.