Piedmont Healthcare and WellStar Health Systems, leaders
in the metro-Atlanta healthcare market, have announced a partnership to create the
Georgia Health Collaborative. A first of its kind in the state, this new Collaborative will establish services and initiatives focusing on the
development of innovative healthcare delivery models, economically aligned
physician relationships and the creation of service line cost savings.
The formation of the Collaborative, which comes on the heels
of other recently announced collaborations across the country, allows Piedmont
and WellStar to share intellectual knowledge concerning clinical care and seek
cost reductions through economies of scale.
The two not-for-profit health systems will remain independent
but, through the Collaborative, serve a primary service area population of more
than three million across north Georgia. With a combined 2,393 hospital beds,
10 hospitals, seven urgent care centers and more than 700 physicians in the
Piedmont Physicians Group, Piedmont Heart Institute, and the WellStar Medical
Group, the Collaborative will redefine the delivery of healthcare services in
metro-Atlanta.
"We believe that the future of healthcare in America is
through organizations working together and partnering and not through owning
and controlling," said Reynold J. Jennings, president and CEO of WellStar.
"We want to bring the best in healthcare delivery together to share best
practices and create innovations that will improve healthcare for all Americans
while reducing costs."
As leaders in the Atlanta healthcare market, Piedmont and
WellStar are uniquely positioned to work together to achieve improved clinical
results and reduction in costs as dictated in the 2010 federal Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act. Health systems that have a broader
geographic reach and larger population base will be best suited to react to and
sustain operations regardless of future federal and state legislative outcomes.
"Bringing the best of Piedmont and WellStar together in
this collaborative opens up a world of possibilities, from clinical discovery
and care delivery innovations to developing products and services that truly
move the market," said Patrick M. Battey, M.D., chairman of the Piedmont
Healthcare Board of Directors and interim CEO of Piedmont Healthcare.
"This is a powerful step for our organization."
Piedmont and WellStar will be founding partners of the
Collaborative, which may add affiliate hospitals or health systems in the
future. A Board of Directors for the Collaborative will be established and will
include the system chairman of the Board, the CEO or COO of both health systems
and two additional members from each system.
"Even the strongest health systems recognize that
creating a sustainable healthcare industry is going to require significant
change. A collaborative allows us to create both scale and efficiency without
the same debt and integration challenges that come with expansion or
acquisition," said Gregory A. Hurst, president and interim chief operating
officer at Piedmont. "Our systems seem perfect for this type of
partnership."
"This is an exciting day for WellStar and the Atlanta
healthcare industry," said Janie Maddox, chairman of the WellStar Board of
Trustees. "Innovative programs and partnerships such as this demonstrate
WellStar's commitment to the delivery of world-class healthcare for every
patient."
Released by PR Newswire
