The organization of production whereby one entity controls or owns all stages of the production and distribution of goods or services. In health care, vertical integration can take many forms, but generally implies that medical practitioners, hospitals and health plans have combined their organizations or processes in some manner to increase efficiencies, increase competitive strength, or improve quality of care. Integrated delivery systems or health care networks are generally vertically integrated. See “horizontal integration”.
A coherent set of methods and models, on the funding, administrative, organizational, service delivery and clinical levels, designed to create connectivity, alignment and collaboration within the health sector.... integration
Merging of two or more firms at the same level of production in some formal, legal relationship. In hospital networks, this may refer to the grouping of several hospitals, the grouping of outpatient clinics with the hospital, or a geographic network of various health care services. Integrated systems seek to integrate both vertically with some organizations and horizontally with others. See “vertical integration”.... horizontal integration
(DVD) a condition in which one eye looks upwards when the amount of light entering it is reduced, e.g. when it is covered. The eye returns to its original position when the cover is removed. DVD is an acquired condition chiefly associated with infantile esotropia (convergent *strabismus). The deviation is dissociated since there is no movement of the focusing (i.e. uncovered) eye during the deviation or return phase.... dissociated vertical deviation
1. (mother-to-child transmission) transmission of an infection, such as HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C, from mother to fetus via the placental circulation. 2. (in population genetics) inheritance of an allele or condition from either the father or mother.... vertical transmission
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