The Saint Luke?s Health System in Kansas City, announced today that it is in negotiations to manage Hedrick Medical Center in Chillicothe.
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The Saint Luke?s Health System in Kansas City, announced today that it is in negotiations to manage Hedrick Medical Center in Chillicothe.
The SLHS has managed Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton for the past seven years. If an agreement is reached, HMC would become a separate System entity, as is WMH. Each entity would retain a separate board of directors, medical staff, budget and mission of service to their respective communities. From a System standpoint, the opportunity to manage HMC would protect the services and interests of both communities.
According to System officials, recent changes within the Kansas City health care community may give SLHS an opportunity to expand its Regional Services Division, which currently manages a number of rural hospitals in Missouri and Kansas. The expansion of Regional Services is consistent with the mission of the SLHS and has the potential to enhance health care services in additional rural communities and provides the critical population base necessary to retain, grow and strengthen services at each entity, including WMH.
?Saint Luke?s Health System?s successful experience in managing WMH, as well as other rural entities, was important to the System?s decision to consider expansion of its regional services division into other communities? says G. Richard Hastings, president and CEO of SLHS.
The opportunity to manage HMC would allow SLHS to strengthen services in both the Trenton and Chillicothe communities by recruiting specialists to serve both communities in which volume in one community is not large enough to support a full-time practice. Enhanced purchasing power, staff education opportunities and programs to monitor and improve quality and patient safety would also be possible.
Saint Luke’s official say that importantly, the addition of HMC, as a System entity, is not anticipated to result in the loss of any existing jobs. In fact, the growth of the System?s Regional Services program has the potential for additional job opportunities. Among recent System resource enhancements is the addition of a physician liaison to facilitate positive interactions among referring doctors and System specialists.
WMH and the Trenton community have benefited significantly from its relationship with the SLHS, Saint Luke’s officials said. The potential of HMC joining the SLHS has the support of the WMH administration and board.