Convergence Health

As hospitals face rising costs, workforce burnout, and increasing regulatory demands, State Hospital Associations (SHAs) have become essential partners in sustaining quality gains. Hospitals that align with SHA-led collaboratives, shared dashboards, and unified priorities: - Reduce variation - Accelerate improvement - Build resilience, especially in rural and community settings At Convergence Health, we’ve spent 25 years helping SHAs and hospitals design statewide learning collaboratives, rural networks, leadership training, and durable improvement infrastructures that protect hard-earned gains. If your state or hospital is strengthening SHA–hospital collaboration in 2026, we’re here to help you build what comes next. Learn more from Samantha Simpson and download Trend 25: Strategic Collaboration Between SHAs and Hospitals to Sustain Quality Gains: 👉 https://lnkd.in/eFF2aex4 #26in26 #HospitalQuality #SHA #QualityImprovement #RuralHospitals #ConvergenceHealth

As hospital margins tighten, quality teams must do more than improve care, they must demonstrate financial value. When quality is seen as a cost center, it’s often first to face cuts. When it’s seen as a strategic asset, it protects mission and margin. Why this trend matters: - Quality leaders need stronger financial fluency - Improvement work must link to cost, capacity, and performance - Quality can’t stay siloed, it must be embedded across the organization The bottom line: Quality and finance shouldn’t compete, they should work together. Learn more about this trend by listening to Kim Werkmeister dive deeper into the topic and Download the full Trend 24 report: https://lnkd.in/d4hnKyF6 #26in26 #HospitalQuality #patientsafety #qualityimprovement #ConvergenceHealth

Hospitals are facing a new challenge: evolving payer expectations mean every quality metric now has both clinical and financial consequences. Misalignment between internal dashboards and payer metrics can lead to penalties, duplication, and lost revenue. But hospitals that align quality and finance are turning reporting into ROI. Every year, approximately 420,000 babies are born in California, and childbirth is the number one reason for hospitalization in the U.S. and California. Through Cal Hospital Compare's Maternity Care Honor Roll, we have supported the alignment of purchasers, health plans, hospitals, and quality improvement organizations on standards in maternity care. Starting in 2024, we developed a methodology to recognize hospitals that meet or exceed performance standards for 5 maternal health metrics, including: NTSV C-section, surgical site infection after C-section, Vaginal Birth After C-section (also known as a VBAC), episiotomy, and Early Elective Deliveries prior to 39 weeks gestational. With our track record and experience with aligning multiple stakeholder groups, we expanding upon our Maternity Care Honor Roll work into a larger statewide initiative – called California Alignment for Hospital Quality. Stay tuned for more details! Listen to Alexandria Stack, Improvement Advisor at Convergence Health and Download the full Payer Alignment Trend One-Pager and share it with your executive and finance teams: 👉 https://lnkd.in/gXhf-uS5 #26in26 #HospitalQuality #ValueBasedCare #TEAMModel #PayerAlignment #HospitalFinance #RuralHealth #ConvergenceHealth

In 2026, quality has become currency. Payment models like CMS’s TEAM and Value-Based Purchasing now link financial performance directly to clinical outcomes. Hospitals that excel in quality are seeing stronger margins, while those that lag face growing financial penalties. The most successful systems are breaking down silos, uniting clinical, operational, and financial teams to measure, manage, and monetize quality. Listen to Bruce Spurlock as he dives deeper into this trend and Download the full “Linking Quality to Reimbursement” Trend One-Pager and share it with your executive and finance teams: 👉 https://lnkd.in/eVxMMKXe #26in26 #HospitalQuality #ValueBasedCare #TEAMModel #Finance #HospitalLeadership #ConvergenceHealth #ROIofQuality

Lean isn’t about doing more with less, it’s about doing better with what you have. In 2026, hospitals are embracing Lean methodologies not just as an operations tool, but as a survival strategy. By eliminating waste, reducing variation, and empowering frontline teams, Lean helps hospitals improve patient outcomes, strengthen financial performance, and reduce burnout. Watch AJ Rolle dive deeper into this trend and Download the full Lean Methodologies Trend One-Pager and share it with your quality and operations teams: 👉 https://lnkd.in/dNqB9c96 #26in26 #HospitalQuality #LeanHealthcare #ProcessImprovement #Efficiency #TEAMModel #NARHI #ConvergenceHealth

Hospitals can’t do it alone, health happens in communities, not just hospitals. In 2026, hospitals are expanding their definition of quality to include the communities they serve. Medical care only accounts for a small portion of health outcomes, social, behavioral, and environmental factors play a much larger role. Hospitals that build partnerships with social service providers, schools, libraries, and food pantries are transforming how health care connects with daily life. We've worked with hospitals across the country to build SDOH screening processes that are not merely data collection exercises but a true opportunity to understand and meet patients' needs, like tipsheets on talking with patients about SDOH screening and talking with care teams about SDOH screening. In 2026, we're doubling down on discovering new ways to facilitate and strengthen partnerships. Listen to Natalie Graves to learn more about this trend and Download the full Community Engagement Trend One-Pager and share it with your community relations and population health teams: 👉 https://lnkd.in/eu_zdk2q #26in26 #HospitalQuality #SDOH #CommunityHealth #Partnerships #TEAMModel #ValueBasedCare #ConvergenceHealth