Gunn: Partnership Drives Investment in Health

Gunn: Partnership drives investment in health

By Terry Gunn, interim KershawHealth CEO
C-I contributing columnist
December 15, 2014

You may have read about the letter of intent to be agreed upon between KershawHealth and MUSC Health/Capella Healthcare. This agreement is about more than simply the leasing of real estate and ownership of property. Ultimately, it is about an investment of organizational and financial resources in this community and its healthcare needs. MUSC Health/Capella Healthcare will invest heavily in programs, facilities, and services at KershawHealth that will increase our patient volume and, in turn, increase revenue. From an organizational standpoint, it will provide access to best practices and strategies to improve the quality of care provided, enhance physician recruitment, and give us additional economies of scale. From a financial standpoint, it will provide the capital necessary to expand and improve the facilities used for care, as well as to expand the scope of care we offer the community.

Capella Healthcare is committed to patient-focused, flexible, customized management of the hospitals in its system, in addition to expanding local services and making access to advanced care more accessible. MUSC Health -- the state’s premiere academic medical facility -- will have the opportunity to share clinical best practices; provide MUSC Health-affiliated specialists and medical residents to KershawHealth; share physician recruitment and placement efforts; partner on the development of outreach and ambulatory services; provide specialized training for local clinical staff; and provide advanced tele-health services like tele-stroke and tele-neurology. After a great deal of in-depth research and thoughtful debate, the board of trustees recognized that the MUSC/Capella collaboration offered KershawHealth the most significant opportunity for future success while still maintaining significant local input.

There is no doubt that everyone at KershawHealth strives to provide excellent care to all our patients. But healthcare today is incredibly complex and hospitals must be prepared to address an increasing focus on quality metrics, evidence-based clinical care, and managing the disease process, in addition to our traditional role of diagnosing and treating specific conditions. Moving forward, providers will increasingly see payments for care tied to quality outcomes and disease management. Noted for its clinical excellence and patient safety, MUSC will provide invaluable resources as KershawHealth develops these new care models. In addition, Capella has a proven track record of outstanding customer satisfaction at its hospitals and of implementing proven best practices at community hospitals across the country. Those are accomplishments we look forward to building on locally.

While KershawHealth has a variety of facilities that span our service area, and physical assets with growth potential, developing and expanding those facilities requires a significant financial investment. In the current environment, KershawHealth simply does not have access to sufficient capital to accomplish these goals. There are a number of physical assets -- both used and undeveloped -- in Camden. These include not only the main hospital campus, but the Sleep Diagnostics Center, several physicians’ offices, and the Pine Tree Hill and Burndale properties. The Elgin facility offers expansion opportunities in a rapidly-growing area of Kershaw County, and the West Wateree campus is underutilized, with room both for expanded services, and additional acreage that might be developed. In addition to the basic infrastructure needed, equipment and technology must be enhanced or replaced on a regular basis, and once again, that will require investments in both hardware and staff development.

Perhaps most importantly, this model will lead to a significant expansion of the healthcare services available to local residents, both for primary and specialized care. Studies have shown a significant need for additional primary care and specialty physicians to serve the needs of the community. With this partnership, physicians training at MUSC may spend time at KershawHealth, and an ongoing relationship with this recognized academic institution will enhance our ability to attract physicians to the community.

There’s no question that change is always challenging. The opportunities for growth and for strengthening KershawHealth in the coming years, however, are too exciting to ignore, and our partnership with MUSC/Capella will provide the resources necessary not only to survive, but to thrive. Not only will the organization be better positioned to meet the healthcare needs of the community, but it is likely to become a focal point for future community growth. That makes the challenge well worth undertaking.