Overview
Tri State Child Health Services, Inc. (Physician-Hospital Organization) is a not-for-profit, taxable corporation joint venture that was incorporated in 1995 and became operational in 1996.
It comprises Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the Convalescent Hospital for Children, Ohio Valley Primary Care Associates (an independent practice association), contracted and employed specialist physicians and community-based specialist physicians. As such, it provides a vehicle for collaboration between community physicians, hospital-based physicians and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
The PHO's purpose is to represent the above constituencies with regard to contracting with area payers, as well as to pursue initiatives which improve the quality of pediatric healthcare.
The PHO has a number of committees which oversee contracting, credentialing and performance improvement activities.
PHO Asthma Improvement Initiative
The Physician-Hospital Organization (PHO) at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center launched an asthma improvement initiative in October 2003 across 40 community-based primary care practices and 165 pediatricians, thus impacting 12,000 asthma patients (30% of regional asthma population).
Primary Objectives
Primary objectives of the PHO Asthma Improvement Initiative were to:
- Improve the quality of asthma care
- Embed a higher level of improvement knowledge and capability within practices
The model for engaging community physisians, as well as accelerating and sustaining improvements, can be spread to other conditions, practices and hospitals.
