FRIEDMAN AND GOES
TO RECEIVE ACHE'S CONLEY AWARD

CHICAGO, February 17, 2003—Leonard Friedman, Ph.D., and Jim Goes, Ph.D., have been named the winners of the American College of Healthcare Executives 2003 Dean Conley Award for their article "Why Integrated Health Networks Have Failed," published in the Summer 2001 issue of Frontiers of Health Services Management.

The award will be presented on Tuesday, March 18, 2003, at the Malcolm T. MacEachern Memorial Lecture and Luncheon during the American College of Healthcare Executives 46th Congress on Healthcare Management at the Hilton Chicago.

Named for ACHE's executive director from 1942 to 1965, the Dean Conley Award is granted annually by ACHE to recognize contributions to healthcare management literature and to encourage healthcare executives to write and publish articles. "Why Integrated Health Networks Have Failed" was selected by ACHE's Article of the Year Awards Committee.

In the article, Friedman and Goes assess the success and the future of integrated health networks. The authors note that most IHNs have shown little evidence of quantifiable, sustained financial or clinical value. They attribute the failure of IHNs to structural and functional difficulties. Structural difficulties include information system conflicts, inefficient supply chain processes, and difficulties in determining and measuring meaningful outcomes. Functional difficulties include misalignment of cultures and incentives and lack of trust among stakeholders. Despite these difficulties, Friedman and Goes still view IHNs as an effective method of delivering community-based healthcare. Their article includes several recommended strategies for overcoming the challenges associated with IHNs.

Friedman is associate professor, Department of Public Health, at Oregon State University in Corvallis. He is a Faculty Associate of ACHE. Goes is managing partner at Cybernos, LLC, based in Eugene, OR, and faculty associate, Health Services, Walden University, Minneapolis.

CONTACT: Deborah A. Labb, (312) 424-9426

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