“Here in Maryland, operating under a unique agreement with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, hospitals have made great strides in the quality of care by fostering new and innovative partnerships. In the first year under this agreement, hospitals have:

• “Reduced the readmissions rate by 0.80 percent, faster than the nation as a whole.

• “Reduced the cost of potentially avoidable utilization by nearly 7 percent.

• “Reduced admissions from the emergency department by nearly 4 percent./

“This success was only possible because of collaboration among primary care physicians, long-term care facilities, home health operators and others. There is much experimentation around healthcare partnerships, but amid the uncertainty that comes with any new venture is a very inspiring idea–that different organizations, no matter where they sit along the care continuum, are committed to caring for the whole spectrum of their patients’ needs.”