Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., will provide emergency physician services at Boone, N.C.-based Appalachian Regional Healthcare System's hospitals through a new strategic partnership between the two organizations.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2016, Wake Forest Baptist will facilitate emergency physician staffing and services in emergency departments at Watauga Medical Center in Boone, N.C., and Charles A. Cannon Jr. Memorial Hospital in Linville, N.C.
"The dynamics of healthcare delivery, particularly in a rural setting, are constantly changing," ARHS President and CEO Richard Sparks told High Country Press. "One of our biggest challenges today is recruiting and retaining emergency care physicians."
ARHS has a long history of partnering with Wake Forest Baptist. Past alliances include a financial management consulting agreement, whereby ARHS provided revenue cycle and ID-10 consulting to a WFB contracted hospital, and a telestroke services partnership, in which WFB provides 24/7 access to acute stroke experts via real-time video.
For many healthcare systems across the country, clinical affiliations of this type have emerged as an attractive alternative to mergers and acquisitions as a means to leverage important resources for distinct communities.
More articles on capacity:
Lahey helps open the Middle East's 1st privately run women's health center: 6 things to know
Aspen Dental Practice opening 2 locations in high-need communities
Crittenton plans improvement projects after Ascension deal: 3 things to know