Independent hospitals and health systems across the Northwest will have expanded access to medical expertise at Tacoma, Wash.-based Virginia Mason Franciscan Health following the launch of the Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Care Network.
VMFH, a regional health system within Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health, launched its membership program June 5.
This was the right time for the launch, Ketul Patel, CEO of VMFH and president of CommonSpirit Health's Northwest Region, said in an interview with Becker's.
"We've had a lot of interest from organizations in Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington about finding ways to partner with us in a nontraditional way," he said. "Typically, they want to stay independent and are drawn to our outcomes, quality and safety and clinical programs."
This interest "gives us a unique opportunity to continue to scale our clinical brand and our best practices that are not only nationally known but internationally renowned for the care that we give," Mr. Patel said.
The care network includes affiliation and partnership opportunities for hospitals, health systems, and larger provider organizations, according to a news release from the health system. Affiliates and partners will remain independent but can contract with VMFH for services such as telehealth and virtual care, peer-to-peer guidance, interim executive and leader placement, consulting expertise and mentoring, and group purchasing. Additionally, the care network provides opportunities for members to network and share expertise with each other.
The primary goal is to find unique partners that align with the health system's values and clinical standards, Mr. Patel said.
"Given the scale of CommonSpirit and the resources we have, we know that we can bring a lot to different hospitals and health systems. We don't have a target in mind [in terms of number of members]. But we do have an intention to partner with like-minded organizations around [the Northwest]."
Read more about the care network here.