About the WCHN Physician Hospital Organization (PHO)

The WCHN Physician Hospital Organization is a regional healthcare delivery organization formed in 2011 by Western Connecticut Health Network. The WCHN PHO membership includes primary care physicians, specialists and Nuvance Health hospitals all working together to provide our communities and patients high quality cost-effective care. In addition, the WCHN PHO provides physicians and hospitals with structure, framework and tools to meet the challenges of a changing healthcare environment.

The WCHN PHO encompasses the affiliated hospitals of WCHN and their eligible medical staff physicians including:

• Danbury Hospital
• New Milford Hospital
• Norwalk Hospital
• Sharon Hospital
  
  

In addition, the PHO includes several hundred independent physician members representing towns in Fairfield County, Litchfield County, Hartford County and New Haven County CT.

Healthcare Reform

Our national and local healthcare system is transforming from a care delivery model, where hospitals, physicians and providers are rewarded individually based on the volume of services provided, to one in which providers will be collectively reimbursed and rewarded by patients, employers and payers based on performance outcomes and the value they bring to defined populations. We have embarked on creating a clinically integrated network to meet these new demands, and to meet the tenants of the Quadruple Aim:

1. Improving the health of a population
2. Delivering better care
3. Lowering overall medical costs 
4. Increased physician satisfaction
   
   

Current Initiatives under the PHO

• Support for community practices to meet National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) level III patient centered medical home (PCMH) certification
• Integration of behavioral health services into primary care practices
• Direct to employer contracting
• Development and participation in narrow network products
• Development and participation in risk contracts
• Provide assistance with value-based care delivery competencies
• In order to meet the challenges of a changing healthcare environment, physicians and providers will need to rely more heavily on technology, data and care management resources. The PHO offers help with electronic medical records (EMR), population health software, care management resources and data analytics.

Contact

For more information about the WCHN PHO, read our FAQs or contact: Daniel Wickson, Manager, PHO & ACO Operations at (203)-702-0894 or daniel.wickson@nuvancehealth.org