Competitors CHE Trinity Health Michigan and Ascension Health Michigan recently announced the Together Health Network, LLC—a separate and jointly owned, statewide, clinically integrated health network.

Over the coming months, the organization will work with payers to develop health plan products for sale both on and off the insurance marketplace. With 27 hospitals (13 from CHE Trinity Health and 14 from Ascension Health Network), and hundreds of ambulatory centers and physician offices, Together Health Network will have a significant presence across the state. A May 7^th press release estimates that 75 percent of the population will be within 20 minutes of a participating provider. [1]

As to governance structure, Together Health Network will have a physician-majority board, physician CEO, and physician-led committees. In the same May 7^th press release, a Together Health Network steering committee member commented that the “health systems are more or less the silent partners.” The establishment of a physician-led entity such as this is one strategy to support authentic physician engagement and alignment, alongside alternative arrangements such as employment and co-management.

How successfully will Together Health Network manage integration of this considerable size and scope? How well will it realize common objectives of a clinically integrated network, such as improving population health, controlling costs, and providing quality care? What effects will the new organization have on providers outside of its network, and their own managed care strategies? Seeking answers to these questions, it is likely that many will be watching healthcare delivery in Michigan as care is provided under the Together Health Network umbrella.

[1] The full press release is available here.