GNYHA released last week Partnerships Between New York City Health Care Institutions and Community-Based Organizations, a report published with The New York Academy of Medicine (The Academy). The report (attached) describes findings from a research project in which focus group and interview participants from New York City-based hospitals, Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program Performing Provider Systems (PPSs), and community-based organizations (CBOs) discussed partnering experiences, processes, successes, and challenges. Although the research focused on New York City partnerships, the findings are broadly applicable across the entire GNYHA membership.
The report details keys to successful partnerships, including the need to build trust, communicate transparently, and ensure that overall goals are aligned between organizations. The report highlights successful collaborations between several GNYHA members and their CBO partners, including Wyckoff Heights Medical Center and JASA, OneCity Health and Little Sisters of the Assumption Family Service, and NewYork-Presbyterian and Northern Manhattan Perinatal Partnership. Challenges to CBO partnerships are also detailed in the report, in particular the size and financial differences between the hospitals and PPSs as compared to CBOs. This imbalance can complicate discussions around contracting and sustainability. Focus group and interview participants also indicated concerns about sustaining partnership activities, particularly those funded through DSRIP. There is interest among all stakeholders in better understanding how Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, and value-based payment models can support partnership activities in the future. Despite difficulties and uncertainty, health care organizations and CBOs recognize the impact these relationships have to improve health in their communities.
Partnerships Between New York City Health Care Institutions and Community-Based Organizations is publicly available on the GNYHA website and printed copies will be available later this month. GNYHA and The Academy will co-host a webinar later this month to review research findings and feature one of the report’s PPS/CBO partnerships. Please contact Carla Nelson with any questions about the report. Partnerships Between New York City Health Care Institutions and Community-Based Organizations and related research were funded by The Altman Foundation, a private foundation whose mission is to improve the quality of life in New York City.