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Resource Center > System-Level Toolkit > Payer-Provider Partnerships > Choosing Providers for Partnerships

System-Level Toolkit

Choosing Providers for Partnerships

Whether you are a state or other government entity, a fiscal intermediary, or a managed care network, motivated providers are essential to your successful improvement project. It’s important to consider several key factors when recruiting providers for your initial learning collaborative. The most important factor to consider with the first learning collaborative is how to guarentee success. When the process works well, the providers in this first collaborative will become the Change Leaders for your whole system. They will lead by example and serve as mentors for future collaborative partners. With this in mind, it is imperative to choose well.

Require a Walk-through and a Sample Change Project

The first NIATx projects required providers to submit an application that included details of a walk-through of one of their systems, the Change Project they implemented after the walk-through, and data showing the effectiveness of the changes tested. This application process guaranteed that provider participants were both motivated and prepared to participate in the learning collaborative.

State-level projects have also required an application process. Maine providers were required to conduct a walk-through and identify a potential Change Project as part of their STAR-SI application. South Carolina set initial criteria with a goal to recruit all of its contracted providers over the course of its three-year STAR-SI project.

Other Considerations

  • Geographic Selection. The Ohio STAR-SI project recruited providers based on geographic criteria to promote regular meetings and minimize travel barriers.
  • Provider Size. Many states and other payer entities have chosen to begin their projects with a small number of large providers; this increases the likelihood that changes will have a larger impact.

Further Reading