Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/576097
STRATEGY AND INNOVATION 38 how to get and stay healthy — a big goal of population health management. What sports teams look for in a partner Mr. Garrett described the wooing stage of HackensackUMC's partnership with the Giants as competitive. "ey have had other healthcare partners," he says, emphasizing that the relationship works only because the two organizations are a "good match" for one another. Sports teams are looking for the following when seeking the right healthcare partner: Geography. Student-athletes have limited time to visit a physician between classes, games and practices. When Cedar- ville (Ohio) University sought a healthcare partner for its athletic department, location played a huge part in its pick. It eventually chose Springfield-based Ohio Valley Surgical Hospital — located about 12 miles away. "Closeness was a very big deal," says Alan Geist, PhD, the athletic director. is way, student athletes only travel a few minutes from campus to get the medical attention they need. Mr. Garrett also credits proximity as part of the reason the Giants and HackensackUMC initially partnered up. "Physically, we're the closest full-service comprehensive hospital," he says. "Geographically, it made great sense." Matching missions. ough it may seem strange to say a sports team and a health system share missions, it's not unreason- able. "Our missions are…to take care of fans and the community," Mr. Rodriguez says of the Broncos and UCHealth. "[e Broncos] had a lot of options, but they wanted someone like us" as a part- ner, he says. Mr. Garrett sees similar alignment between the values of HackensackUMC and the Giants. "ey're a member of the com- munity…and they have similar values to Hackensack," he says. Looking ahead While partnerships between sports teams and hospitals are not a new phenomenon, they are becoming increasingly promi- nent and more complex, and they are expected to proliferate. "It has proven to be a sustainable model for healthcare provid- ers," Ms. Mader says. "I don't see it slowing down anytime soon." HackensackUMC has experienced this first-hand, having leveraged its initial partnership with the Giants to strike new re- lationships with the New Jersey Devils NHL team and the New York Red Bulls, a Major League Soccer team with a stadium in New Jersey. Partnerships like that will likely increase even more in the coming months and years, as hospital officials eye ways to move into population health management and a focus on health and wellness rather than sick care. "As health systems evolve from being hospital-centric to be- ing more of a full-service health system — meaning that there are more community activities, more ambulatory care, more fit- ness and wellness [focus] — the sports partnerships are becoming more and more synergistic," Mr. Garrett says. n