Page 8 - Flathead Beacon // 4.6.16

CITY BEAT 14 COUNTY BEAT 14 COURT BEAT 15 Newsworthy
Kalispell Regional, North Valley Hospital to Finalize A liation Flathead Valley health care providers to form partnership next month
WHAT DOES THIS NEW PARTNERSHIP MEAN?
SOURCE: KALISPELL REGIONAL HEALTHCARE
WHY DID NORTH VALLEY HOSPITAL AND KALISPELL REGIONAL HEALTHCARE CREATE THIS AFFILIATION?
The Governing Boards of both organiza- tions are con dent that this relationship is in the best interest of our community and our hospitals. A deeper collaboration, including clinical and nancial integration, strengthens the ability of both organiza- tions to provide accessible and a ordable healthcare to patients in the Flathead Valley and neighboring communities.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF
WORKING TOGETHER?
North Valley Hospital and Kalispell Region- al Healthcare have worked collaboratively for many years on speci c initiatives, including physician recruitment, shared medical and support services, and com- pletion of joint community health needs assessments. Through a more formal a l- iation, we expect to share more resources that will help us meet the health needs
of the community, allowing patients to access services they need locally instead of foregoing care or having to travel out of the area. There will be an increased focus on managing the health of the communities we serve as well as excellence in direct patient care.
WILL JOBS BE ELIMINATED?
There are no plans to eliminate jobs nor any planned lay-o s at either facility based on the a liation agreement.
WILL NORTH VALLEY HOSPITAL STAFF BECOME EMPLOYEES OF KALISPELL REGIONAL HEALTHCARE?
North Valley Hospital will continue to employ its own sta , but as an a liate, they are employees under the umbrella of Kalispell Regional Healthcare.
WILL ANY SERVICES BE ELIMINATED?
North Valley Hospital will continue its current scope of major acute care service lines, including the Emergency Depart- ment; Obstetrics (Delivery); Inpatient and Outpatient Medical/Surgical procedures.
WILL THE CLINICS BE AFFECTED?
Opportunities will be explored to expand services and create e ciencies that will be of bene t to our patients in each clinic’s service area.
BY DILLON TABISH OF THE BEACON
The two largest health care providers in the Flathead Valley are transitioning to a formal a liation that will create a uni ed and robust medical organization serving the region.
Kalispell Regional Healthcare, a growing nonpro t corporation com- prised of the local hospital and other ser- vices across Western Montana, is in the process of nalizing a partnership with North Valley Hospital White sh.
The governing boards of both orga- nizations recently nalized the agree- ment and governance bylaws that set the stage for the formal a liation, which is expected to take e ect May 1.
Hospital o cials say North Valley Hospital will join Kalispell Regional Medical Center and The HealthCenter as an a liate under the umbrella of Kalis- pell Regional Healthcare. The organiza- tions will be integrated both clinically and nancially. Because the relationship is structured as an a liation, there was no purchase agreement or any transfer of assets, according to Mellody Sharpton, director of communications at Kalispell Regional Healthcare.
Kalispell Regional Healthcare will share and recruit sta who can work with both organizations, according to o cials.
North Valley Hospital, White sh’s lone hospital with roots dating back to 1905, will maintain its name, mission, charitable purposes and tax-exempt sta- tus, according to hospital o cials. The hospital’s board of directors will remain intact while the two organizations will have shared governance by placing board members of each organization on the other organization’s board.
“Many patients in the Flathead Val- ley visit both North Valley Hospital and Kalispell Regional Healthcare facil- ities,” stated Velinda Stevens, Kalis- pell Regional Healthcare president and CEO. “By aligning our organizations, this a liation will allow us to focus on coordinated care within our community, allowing more patients to access services they need locally versus foregoing care or traveling out of the area.”
Kalispell hospital o cials say there will not be any closing or consolidating of facilities, nor will there be any jobs eliminated at either facility based on the a liation agreement.
North Valley Hospital, which has roughly 400 employees, will continue its current scope of major acute care
Tagen Vine, left, president of the Kalispell Regional Healthcare Foundation, and Jason Spring, CEO North Valley Hospital, discuss KRMC’s partnership with North Valley Hospital. BEACON FILE PHOTO
8
APRIL 6, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
services, including the emergency ser- vices department, obstetrics, and inpa- tient and outpatient medical and surgi- cal procedures.
The a liation comes at a time of great change in the health care industry and as hospitals across the nation are merging, consolidating or creating joint ventures like the one in Kalispell and White sh.
The consolidations are a result of the industry’s latest tectonic shift, triggered largely by President Barack Obama’s A ordable Care Act, which has changed the economics for health care providers. Among these signi cant changes are expanded insurance coverage, increased use of high deductible plans and pay- ment reforms that emphasize quality over quantity, according to the Bureau of Business and Economic Research.
Questions have been raised, too, about how partnerships or consolidated ser- vices can impact consumers.
“In theory, integrated care is better care. That’s part of why you’re seeing this most recent wave of mergers,” Bryce Ward, health care director BBER at the University of Montana, told the Beacon previously when asked about the local a liation.
Ward said it makes sense for hospitals to work together more frequently, partic- ularly by sharing information through an independent entity to improve e ciency and delivery.
The drawback is that consumers could end up paying a higher price, he added.
“The big fear, when you have mergers, is that the lack of competition will allow prices to rise. There is evidence that that can occur,” he said.
Both organizations have agreed to release an annual report for at least the rst ve years of the a liation.
The Kalispell hospital has experi- enced signi cant growth in recent years and is in the process of expanding its emergency services department. The number of full-time-equivalent employ- ees has jumped from barely 1,000 in 2001 to over 2,500 last year, according to hos- pital data. The rst phase of a $14 mil- lion, 37,500-square-foot project to reno- vate and expand the ER is underway. The hospital board also recently approved a tentative plan for a women’s and chil- dren’s center that could break ground this summer. Hospital o cials declined to provide any other speci cs because the project remains in the planning stages.
“Our organizations have been work- ing collaboratively for years on activities like recruiting and sharing physicians, sharing medical services, facilitating the electronic use of health-related informa- tion, and completion of join community health needs assessments,” stated Jason Spring, CEO of North Valley Hospital. “We are exited to formalize our rela- tionship so we can more e ectively work together and expand our e orts to pro- vide accessible and a ordable healthcare for our community.”
dtabish@ atheadbeacon.com