About Shore Quality Partners

What We Do

Shore Quality Partners brings independent, contracted and employed physicians – whether primary care, specialist or hospital-based-physicians, together with Shore Medical Center to form a network of providers aligned to support quality improvement and cost efficiency. The Clinically Integrated Network (CIN) is governed by a Board of Directors and several physician committees, who are responsible for developing and implementing clinical integration initiatives and dealing with all matters affecting the organization. The CIN performs various functions and activities:

Developing and managing arrangements with payers for payment of bonuses, care management fees and other incentive compensation;

• Developing and implementing care guidelines, policies, procedures and protocols;
• Gathering and analyzing data;
• Designing and implementing care management initiatives;
• Aligning with additional providers;
• Managing IT infrastructure implementation and operations
• Measuring performance and distributing incentive funds based on performance

Why Now?

In collaboration with its Physician Leadership Council, SMC identified the need to respond to the changing market while allowing community physicians to retain their practice independence and autonomy. Shore Quality Partners emerged as a dynamic model designed to engage and align interests among community providers and SMC. This effort brings together physicians and SMC to enhance collaboration and achieve clinical integration with the support of Shore Medical Center’s resources and infrastructure. By proactively seeking opportunities with interested payers, Shore Quality Partners positions its participants for success under new payment and care models.

Vision

Create a Clinically Integrated Network  that allows area physicians and Shore Medical Center to become truly clinically integrated and improve the quality and cost effectiveness of patient care, and as a result, enter into contracts with payers to earn rewards and incentive compensation for delivering such high quality and cost effective care to the community.

Governance

Physician Leadership

Active, engaged physician leadership is essential to the success of the CIN. The Physician Leadership Council, which is comprised of more than a dozen SMC physicians, planned the implementation of Shore Quality Partners. Included in their work was making key decisions relating to the organizational structure, the participation agreement, board composition and strategies.

One key result of this advanced planning was the development of a robust governance structure. The Shore Quality Partners Board of Directors consists of a total of twelve (12) Directors, split into two classes: nine (9) Physician Directors and three (3) Hospital Directors. The Physician Directors are a mix of primary care and specialists. This governance structure ensures that actions will only move forward if supported by both the physicians and SMC. The high percentage of physicians on the Board also ensures that clinical and practice insights are central to all decisions.

SQP Physician Board Members

The Board is made up of 9 Physicians and 3 Hospital Administrators for a total of 12 Board members that work together to improve healthcare outcomes for all patients.