Willmar-based Rice Memorial Hospital and Affiliated Community Medical Centers, which operates two clinics in Litchfield, have merged with St. Cloud-based CentraCare Health.
Under an agreement formalizing the partnership, ACMC Health facilities, including those in Litchfield, became Carris Health on Monday.
Carris Health, which will continue to serve Litchfield and other communities in west central Minnesota, is a subsidiary of CentraCare Health, a non-profit network that includes six hospitals, six nursing homes, senior housing in six communities, more than 25 clinics and three pharmacies.
The final step in what has been months in the making took place Dec. 27, when leaders from Rice Memorial Hospital, ACMC Health and CentraCare Health signed the final agreement to establish Carris Health, according to a news release from CentraCare Health. “This agreement lays the foundation for new collaborative and innovative opportunities that will benefit people in west central and southwest Minnesota,” the news release stated.
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The ultimate goal, according to CentraCare Health, is to strengthen health care in the region through partnerships, while making sure each organization retains local control to make decisions that are best for the communities they serve. Administrators believe this approach will help keep patients local, create a structure for working together on behalf of patients and position the organizations for success in a health care industry that is rapidly changing.
Leading Carris Health as co-CEOs will be Mike Schramm, CEO of Rice Memorial Hospital, and Dr. Cindy Firkins Smith, president and CEO of ACMC Health. Schramm was CEO of Meeker Memorial Hospital in Litchfield before taking his current job at Rice Memorial Hospital.
Together, Schramm and Firkins Smith will oversee the formation of Carris Health, which will take place in phases throughout 2018. The first step was establishing a board of directors that includes representation from the local communities. Smith and Schramm will serve as ex-officio, non-voting members of the board.
“The collaboration has been tremendous,” Schramm said. “We share a commitment to our communities and recognize that we can be even stronger together.”
An integration team is developing a plan that will guide efforts throughout the year and during that process, administrators said patients can expect the same level of services and access to care.
“We are fortunate to have high-quality health care services in our region and through this partnership will be able to improve on an already strong network,” Firkins Smith said. “By sharing expertise and resources, we can better care for the needs of people in our communities.”
Rice Memorial, ACMC Health and CentraCare Health have a long history of working together and already share a common geography and many patients, according to the news release. Through Carris Health, the goal is to make rural health care less complicated.
Carris Health will make a capital investment of $32 million in Rice Memorial Hospital over the next 10 years. Rice Memorial Hospital assets will continue to be owned by the city of Willmar. The organization’s 1,350 staff and physicians will be employees of Carris Health.
ACMC Health’s 955 employees, including 180 physicians and advanced practice providers, will also be employees of Carris Health as will the 174 employees of Willmar Medical Services, a joint venture between Rice Memorial Hospital and ACMC Health.
Rice Memorial Hospital is a Level 3 trauma hospital. Serving a 14-county area, the facility maintains 100 inpatient beds and employs 1,350 staff, including more than 350 credentialed physicians.
“It has been inspiring to work together to envision the future of health care for West Central and Southwest Minnesota,” said Dr. Ken Holmen, president and CEO of CentraCare Health. “Together, we can improve the quality of care, the overall health of people in the region and reduce the cost of health care. The process will take time, but we have the right partners at the table to create a bright future for healthcare in the region.”
Date: Jan 01, 2018