Types of Health Networks
Rural health networks are often classified according to their composition (homogenous or mixed) or purpose. Horizontal networks are homogenous organizations comprised of one type of provider (e.g., rural hospitals, nursing homes) and vertical networks are comprised of different types of providers (also called integrated networks).
Some rural health networks are formed to address a specific goal. The following are common orientations of rural health networks:
Some rural health networks are formed to address a specific goal. The following are common orientations of rural health networks:
- Rural Hospital Networks
- Integrated Rural Health Networks
- Federally Funded Integrated Rural Health Networks
- Rural Public Health Networks
- Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCNs) (FQHCs that have formed electronic health networks among themselves)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) Networks
- Telemedicine Networks
- Electronic Health Records (EHR) Networks
- Broker Networks and Purchasing Networks