Flint, Mich.-based Insight Health System acquired Coldwater (Mich.) Regional Hospital from Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica on Dec. 1, 2024, after signing a definitive agreement in September.
The 87-bed hospital, now Insight Hospital and Medical Center Coldwater, comprises a level 4 trauma designation and 430 employees.
Insight Health System is a physician-led system that comprises six acute care hospitals, six surgery centers, 28 clinics, 580 providers, 10 unions and 4,200 employees. Five of its six hospitals are nonprofit, according to a Dec. 3 news release shared with Becker's.
Becker's connected with Jawad Shah, MD, founder and CEO of Insight Health System, to learn more about the motivations behind the acquisition and plans for integrating the hospital's operations and workforce into Insight's broader mission to deliver community-focused care.
Question: What motivated Insight Health System to acquire Coldwater Regional Hospital? How does this acquisition align with your broader strategic goals?
Dr. Jawad Shah: Insight Health Systems is very much motivated by the overarching mission of delivering exceptional healthcare, rooted in the community, and extending our reach to the social determinants of health. The Coldwater acquisition hits multiple elements of our model, which includes a community which does require a hospital and would be empty without an operator. The deal parameters were such that we felt it was sustainable and there was tremendous growth potential unique to the specific market. Our growth is driven by community needs and Coldwater is in our backyard.
Q: What immediate priorities do you have for enhancing services at Insight Hospital and Medical Center Coldwater?
JS: We have written priorities for the first three months that include a proper transition of all clinical, regulatory, legal and financial elements of the hospital. We are still working through a transitional services agreement with ProMedica and stabilization is the first priority in all elements of the work. Beyond that, we have tremendous thoughts around service lines which we think can grow in the area. One particular line is the neurosciences, including both neurology and neurosurgery. We also have elements of growth opportunities within several other subspecialities.
Q: How will you approach integrating Coldwater's existing workforce and service lines into Insight's operational model while maintaining continuity of care for the community?
JS: The existing Coldwater workforce and executive team are exceptional. We believe they have the skill sets required to achieve exceptional results particularly as we add our own strategic thinking to the currently well-run operations. There are some elements of the workforce including utilization of outside agencies that we are hoping we can internalize such that the staff is community based. The main alignment that we hope will occur is around our intrinsic values and ethics, which include selfless delivery of care not only for the purposes of direct intervention in crisis health but also in helping construct the community such that we can affect the trajectory of the most vulnerable populations in achieving care. The social determinants of health need to be addressed with the same vigour and concern with which we approach pathological disease processes.
Q: What leadership strategies do you prioritize when acquiring a hospital? How do you plan to inspire trust and alignment among staff, providers, and the community during this transition?
JS: The leadership strategy we deploy depends on the current personnel at any site. We are very happy with several elements of the Coldwater leadership and their ability to run an excellent operation. As Insight Health Systems grows, we are in need of autonomous leaders who are able to work within a strategic portfolio while executing plans leading to exceptional results. We are also in need of people who truly align to the overarching ethos of delivering exceptional care and building an institution that can be transformational to a community.
It is our hope that staff sees us through our ethics and behaviors that align with the needs of the hospital. Our core ethic is love. It is our hope that the community sees the love that we provide to the patients and community, guided by the highest ethics, and therefore continue to increase the amount of good that is achieved. As these formative, ethical building blocks humbly grow within Insight Health Systems and are further integrated to the already wonderful culture in Coldwater, we hope the community, staff, and providers judge us by the results of an emerging and exceptional system of health that is unique. This is our highest aspiration.