Thanks for the feedback on this integration question. I have continued to get several questions about the discussions with GMC and other physicians practices, so I’ll keep working to address those:
Question: Why have PVHS and NCMC not done more to work together? The local paper said that this whole process was placing the patient in the middle of a tug-o-war.
Answer: Several years ago (before MCR) board members from both NCMC and PVHS met to discuss an option that would have created a new system comprised of both PVH and NCMC. The discussion centered on a proposal that would have created a new system comprised of both NCMC and PVH and that this new system would build a new regional referral center on the east side of Interstate 25. The theory behind a new regional center was to avoid duplication and centralize regional tertiary services.
As a part of that discussion I agreed that I would need to leave and allow the new entity to hire new administration so as to avoid any perception of favoritism toward PVH. While there were only a few meetings, the discussion was, in my opinion, productive and centered on what was best for the patients and the region. Shortly after these discussions the NCMC Board elected to sign a long-term management contract with a Phoenix-based management company, and the discussions ended. The theory has never been to put the patients in the middle, but rather to create a solution which best represented the needs of the patient. That remains the objective today with any relationship between GMC and PVHS.
Question: I have heard that PVHS really wants to turn NCMC into and indigent care hospital and send all of the paying patients to Loveland and Fort Collins. Is that true?
Answer: Of course not! Our proposed relationship now is with GMC, but it has never been our goal to have a negative impact on NCMC. The original discussion described above would have created an equal system where neither organization had superiority over the other. The same is true in our current discussions with GMC. Both GMC and PVHS have proven to be providers of world class healthcare over the past years, and by working together we think that we can share information and build upon those successes together. In the end, we expect to provide great patient care while allowing physicians and patients to maintain the choice of where they receive their care.
I hope this helps. Keep the questions coming!
Rulon
