Collaboration between Leading Healthcare Providers Focuses on
Clinical Quality, Access and Affordable Care
CLEVELAND & FRANKLIN, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 11, 2013--
Community Health Systems (NYSE: CYH) and Cleveland Clinic have formed a
strategic alliance to enhance the quality of patient care, improve
access to healthcare services, reduce costs and drive operational
excellence.
In this period of dynamic change in healthcare, Cleveland Clinic and
Community Health Systems recognize that collaboration is essential to
developing innovative solutions that address today’s complex challenges
and unique opportunities. Working together, Community Health Systems and
Cleveland Clinic will draw on each other’s extensive resources and
expertise, maximizing strengths in areas such as clinical services,
physician alignment and integration, supply chain processes and other
aspects of hospital operations. The two organizations will remain
independent entities.
With this groundbreaking alliance, both organizations are committed to
the values and close collaboration that will drive enhanced quality of
care to patients and improve upon the delivery of healthcare services
across the communities they serve. With unique cultures, both Cleveland
Clinic and Community Health Systems share a vision of healthcare’s
future that will help achieve the objectives of each organization.
“As we face an unprecedented transformation in healthcare, we need to
adapt and embrace change. This new relationship is reflective of
Cleveland Clinic’s culture of collaboration and desire to exchange
knowledge,” said Toby M. Cosgrove, M.D., Chief Executive Officer and
President of Cleveland Clinic. “As healthcare reform moves forward, we
remain focused and committed to providing the highest quality, value and
efficiency of care to patients locally and nationally. Our collaboration
with Community Health Systems advances these efforts.”
Cleveland Clinic and Community Health Systems come to the new alliance
with strong records of success. Cleveland Clinic has focused on
developing a model of healthcare for the 21st century that reduces costs
and drives quality to provide the best healthcare value. Community
Health Systems has demonstrated its ability to facilitate positive
change in the way healthcare is delivered. By applying standardized,
sustainable processes, the company has improved operations at the many
hospitals that have been acquired over the years and is also able to
continuously drive advancements in clinical outcomes and ever-improving
efficiency in hospitals across the system.
“Combining the strengths, resources, and the unique attributes of our
organizations is a bold step that will benefit patients across the many
communities we serve,” said Wayne T. Smith, Chairman, President and
Chief Executive Officer of Community Health Systems, Inc. “Our
commitment to quality care has never been stronger. We have the
foundation, capacity and fortitude to build an even better healthcare
system and we look forward to working with Cleveland Clinic as we
achieve even higher levels of clinical performance.”
The alliance affords each organization notable opportunities to benefit
from the other’s previous experiences and success. CHS-affiliated
hospitals will advance their clinical programs through access to
Cleveland Clinic’s expertise in medical specialties, tertiary services
and innovative approaches to patient care. Cleveland Clinic will extend
its reach and quality initiatives into new regions served by Community
Health Systems’ expansive network of 135-affiliated community hospitals,
nationwide.
Initially, the relationship will focus on three specific areas of
collaboration:
Quality Alliance: The Cleveland Clinic will assist Community
Health Systems in establishing clinical integration programs at its
affiliated hospitals. The Quality Alliance model will create a framework
in which physicians can share best practices and capture, report and
compare data in a standardized format. Over time, recorded data will
support predictive modeling for patient outcomes and reducing the cost
of care. Clinical integration will provide a mechanism for the sharing
of data to drive better value regardless of geography.
Cardiovascular Services: Cleveland Clinic's Heart & Vascular
Institute will assess selected CHS-affiliated hospitals for the
opportunity to apply the institute’s expertise in cardiovascular
services to enhance the quality and data infrastructure of programs with
CHS-affiliated hospitals.
Clinical and Operational Services: The organizations will explore
a broad array of other engagements to share best practices and produce
synergies. These may include telemedicine initiatives, second opinion
services for physicians and patients, complex care coordination, and
other practices in care and cost containment.
Paramount to the success of the strategic alliance are the strong
relationships Cleveland Clinic and Community Health Systems have
established with physicians. Physicians across both organizations will
have the opportunity for broadened peer interaction to advance quality
and create organizational connectedness.
Even as both organizations remain independent, Community Health Systems
and Cleveland Clinic are committed to a long-term relationship that will
evolve over time to include additional collaborative opportunities and
the possibility for future joint ventures. Other areas of engagement may
include clinical research, shared innovations and population health
management.
“The future requires courage and teamwork,” said Smith. “We are headed
in the right direction to achieve meaningful enhancements in clinical
quality and affordable care.”
About Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center
that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education.
Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned
physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based
upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland
Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary
artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United
States. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland
Clinic as one of the nation’s best hospitals in its annual “America’s
Best Hospitals” survey. About 2,800 full-time salaried physicians and
researchers and 11,000 nurses represent 120 medical specialties and
subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic Health System includes a main campus
near downtown Cleveland, eight community hospitals and 18 Family Health
Centers in Northeast Ohio, Cleveland Clinic Florida, the Lou Ruvo Center
for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Cleveland Clinic Canada, and currently
under construction, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In 2010, there were 4
million visits throughout the Cleveland Clinic health system and 167,000
hospital admissions. Patients came for treatment from every state and
from more than 100 countries. Visit us at www.clevelandclinic.org.
Follow us at www.twitter.com/ClevelandClinic.
About Community Health Systems, Inc.
Located in the Nashville, Tennessee, suburb of Franklin, Community
Health Systems, Inc. is one of the largest publicly-traded hospital
companies in the United States and a leading operator of general acute
care hospitals in non-urban and mid-size markets throughout the country.
Through its subsidiaries, the Company currently owns, leases or operates
135 hospitals in 29 states with an aggregate of approximately 20,000
licensed beds. Its hospitals offer a broad range of inpatient and
surgical services, outpatient treatment and skilled nursing care.
Community Health Systems Professional Services Corporation, a subsidiary
of Community Health Systems, Inc., provides management services to the
affiliated group of hospitals and is party to the agreements with
Cleveland Clinic. Shares in Community Health Systems, Inc. are traded on
the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “CYH.”
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this news release regarding expected
operating results, acquisition transactions or divestitures and other
events are forward-looking statements that involve risk and
uncertainties. Actual future events or results may differ materially
from these statements. Readers are referred to the documents filed by
Community Health Systems, Inc. with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K, current
reports on Form 8-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. These filings
identify important risk factors and other uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking
statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any
forward-looking statements, or to make any other forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
Editor’s Note: Cleveland
Clinic News Service is available to provide broadcast-quality
interviews and B-roll upon request.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20130311006395/en/
Source: Community Health Systems, Inc.
Cleveland Clinic
Eileen Sheil, 216-444-8927
sheile@ccf.org
or
Heather
Phillips, 216-445-4517
phillih@ccf.org
or
Community
Health Systems, Inc.
Media:
Tomi Galin, 615-628-6607
tomi_galin@chs.net
or
Investors:
Larry
Cash, 615-465-7000
