US-based health improvement company ValueOptions has introduced a new electronic Integrated Practice Assessment Tool (IPAT), which will enable health care organizations to more accurately determine their integration level.
The new evaluation tool will be used to assess and compare integration abilities by practice type, or between health care networks and geographic regions.
IPAT has been developed by four integration specialists Jeanette Waxmonsky, Andrea Auxier, Pam Wise Romero and Bern Heath under a collaboration agreement.
The data collected will help providers, researchers and payors to better measure integration both within and across health care settings.
In addition, the tool can be used to determine the association between integration level and clinical, cost, and utilization outcomes.
ValueOptions’ National Director of Integration Andrea Auxier said the company has developed the device to address the issue of variability at the practice level.
"Instead of a complicated metric assessment, IPAT uses a simple decision tree model. In a few questions, practices can easily and objectively determine their current level, as well as outline their next steps toward implementing a higher level of integration, if that is their goal," Auxier added.