Creating a health care partnership for multi-island counties

(a) There is established within the corporation for administrative purposes only a public-private partnership in a county that encompasses at least three islands inhabited by permanent residents, to research, develop, and implement a model of health care delivery that addresses the coordination of care across the spectrum of care from acute, to skilled nursing facility, to home, in a manner that is seamless, efficient, appropriate, and cost-effective. (b) The public-private partnership shall: (1) Work to resolve the challenges in the post-acute care environment; (2) Expand inpatient capacity; (3) Improve access to and quality of health care; and (4) Enhance the operational and financial viability of public and private health care providers at all levels of care. (c) The public-private partnership shall be mutually beneficial to stakeholders and consumers and shall be based upon the following: (1) Short-term goals: (A) Provide a mechanism to move waitlisted patients to an appropriate long-term care setting; (B) Provide appropriate financial support to allow for the movement of patients along the continuum of care, regardless of the ability to pay; (C) Maintain the financial viability of skilled nursing facilities by providing adequate funding from all sources; and (D) Maintain the financial viability of full-service acute care facilities by reducing the number of waitlisted patients. (2) Long-term goals: (A) Improve the continuity of care and efficiency between providers; (B) Enhance the quality of patient care; (C) Create a patient-centered health care infrastructure; (D) Maximize capacity and increase operational and financial viability among network organizations; (E) Optimize existing resources to maximize return; (F) Facilitate the transition of care between different levels of care; (G) Reduce unnecessary transfers of patients and attract medically appropriate transfers from neighboring islands; (H) Create reimbursement mechanisms that support integrated efforts; (I) Reduce unnecessary health care use and prevent unnecessary hospitalizations and readmissions; and (J) Expand access to specialty services to counties that encompass at least three islands inhabited by permanent residents.