The boards of directors for Mountain View Hospital District and St. Charles Health System are evaluating ways to deepen the relationship between the two organizations.
St. Charles has provided management services to Mountain View since 1998, which includes employing the CEO and CFO, and providing leadership expertise to the board of directors. In addition, the two have an IT services agreement, a Home Health and Rehabilitation services agreement and a recent partnership that ensures general surgery coverage at Mountain View through St. Charles Medical Group.
Over the next few months, St. Charles and Mountain View boards and CEOs will consider a number of possibilities including a lease agreement like St. Charles has in place with Pioneer Memorial Hospital in Prineville, a consolidation of assets or other legal business ventures.
“Both organizations feel that we may be able to gain greater operational and strategic efficiencies by expanding our relationship beyond the current management services agreement,” said James A. Diegel, FACHE, president and CEO of St. Charles Health System. “At St. Charles, we believe our role is to reduce health care costs while enhancing and improving the patient care experience for all patients in the Central Oregon region. We have always felt that Mountain View and St. Charles share a common commitment to the communities we serve and building on that relationship is a natural fit.”
Already Mountain View and St. Charles work closely on health initiatives like HeartOne, which trains emergency medical responders to recognize heart attack patients early on and get them to the most appropriate facility for treatment. The two organizations have partnered on breast cancer screening and education efforts along with emergency preparedness plans. This week, Mountain View has chosen to install the same electronic health record system as St. Charles.
Representatives from St. Charles and Mountain View are also involved in the Central Oregon Health Council, an entity that is driving health care reform at the local level through oversight of the new state-required Medicaid Coordinated Care Organization. The health council is also encouraging greater collaboration among health care providers in the region.
“By becoming closer partners with St. Charles, we believe Mountain View will have greater access to resources and will be better positioned to continue serving Jefferson County well into the future,” said Jeanine A. Gentry, FACHE, CEO of Mountain View Hospital. “We believe we can keep our caring, small-town feel that is so important, while expanding the opportunities for growth that can come through stronger ties to St. Charles.”
