Michigan An integrated health care system has the ability to provide for the care of the patient across the entirety of a disease process, including prevention, acute care, chronic care, and secondary prevention.
Integration allows investment in one area to produce benefits in other areas.
An increase in initial hospital costs due to acute treatment can be recouped by decreased rehabilitation or nursing home costs. Patients must be able to access the appropriate subunits of the system in the appropriate time-frame in order to receive proper care. For the patient with an acute stroke these components include prehospital care, emergency care, hospital care, and rehabilitation. Patients also expect that their care will be arranged in an efficient and seamless manner. Patients who are not part of an integrated health care system can still expect the same quality of care if the subunits are brought together by medical leadership and if care paths are developed for the rapid identification and treatment of acute stroke.