To first answer your question about integrated health care systems in the U.S.; the answer is yes, there are some integrated health care systems available with all three delivery methods under one administration. An article titled “100 Integrated Health Systems to Know” listed out 100 of the most successfully integrated systems (Rodak, 2013). Kaiser Permanente is one such system. Considered the world’s largest not-for-profit integrated delivery system; Kaiser was founded in 1945, and currently serves 10.2 million people. It is based in Oakland, California but provide both insurance and health care services to patients across 8 states and the District of Columbia (Overland, 2013). As of 2014, it was reported that Kaiser had 186,497 employees, 18,652 physicians, 51,010 nurses, 38 medical centers, and 622 medical offices (Fast Facts, 2016). …show more content…
Kaiser providers receive a fixed amount of money per member, so as a cost saving measure, the system is geared toward keeping patients healthy and away from costlier and frequent service utilization. Kaiser Permanente utilizes a patient portal EMR system that they have named KP Connect. It is the largest civilian electronic medical record system, and is reported to have has improved clinical process measures and member retention, as well as elicited some operational savings and changes in utilization of