MAY 21, 2009 ISSUE
Healthcare In The High Country
A Look at Appalachian Regional Healthcare System
This week, Appalachian Regional Healthcare System (ARHS) is celebrating National Hospital Week, the nation’s largest healthcare event. The week provides an opportunity to show gratitude to ARHS staff, physicians and volunteers.When Vanessa and Andrew Hensley welcomed their third baby at 12:29 p.m. on May 1, the three made history.
Elijah Bynam was the first baby delivered with the help of another history-maker: midwife Carrington Pertalion, who recently joined Harmony, Center for Women’s Health & Vitality at Watauga Medical Center. Pertalion delivered more than 650 babies at Caldwell Memorial Hospital before joining Harmony in April.
“We haven’t offered midwifery services before,” said Gillian Baker, vice-president for marketing and business development for Appalachian Regional Healthcare System.
The introduction of midwifery as an option for childbirth is a measure of the continuing commitment of the healthcare group to which Watauga Medical Center belongs to—Appalachian Regional Healthcare System (ARHS).
This proactive approach to healthcare in the High Country has led to an award of an Outstanding Patient Experience Designation to Watauga’s main hospital from a company that rates hospitals nationally. Watauga actually fell in the top three percent.
Appalachian Regional Healthcare System was formed in 2004 from Watauga Medical Center in Boone and the Charles A. Cannon, Jr. Memorial Hospital in Linville. Blowing Rock Hospital joined in 2007. ARHS is a nonprofit organization serving Watauga and Avery counties.
“We are a public not-for-profit hospital [and] system governed by a board of trustees. The money we make goes back into making benefit to the community, such as charity care” said Baker.
The three hospitals separately were always nonprofit, but “the benefit of coming together as a system [is] to streamline services, enhance patient care and just make it a better avenue for everybody in the High Country to get the healthcare that they need,” she said.
Because of the consolidation, the system was able reopen the behavioral health unit at Cannon and is now able to look at long-range planning for Blowing Rock Hospital.
Today, the Blowing Rock hospital anchors post-acute care, home-health and long-term care. Cannon Memorial anchors in- and out-patient behavioral health services, while Watauga Medical Center has the cancer center, acute care and surgery, out-patient imaging among other services.
Patient outreach services include the Appalachian Healthcare Project which provides low income, uninsured residents in Watauga and Avery counties with health care for chronic conditions; the Farmworker Health Program, to help migrant and seasonal workers; programs for promoting health and safety for all age groups, and Spirit of Women, a network promoting women’s health.
The Appalachian Regional Healthcare System has also formed the Appalachian Regional Medical Associates, which services the business side of seven physicians’ offices, including Watauga Internal Medicine and Elk River Medical Associates.
“The benefit [of the Appalachian Regional Medical Associates] is that [the physicians] can do what they do best, which is practice medicine, and they have someone else [running the business side of it],” said Baker.
This group also includes pulmonology and pediatric care and two obstetric/gynecology practices and has also brought in rheumatology, a brand-new specialty for Boone.
The Appalachian Regional Healthcare System is supported by the Appalachian Regional Healthcare Foundation, also a nonprofit organization which raises funds for major projects. Richard Sparks, President and CEO of the system, manages the foundation.
Appalachian Regional Healthcare System By the Numbers
(Latest figures available: fiscal year—October 1, 2007 to September 30, 2008)
$63,027,691: total salary and benefits.
1462: total support staff (full-time equivalent employees). Includes nurses, some clinical staff, dietary staff, housekeeping, maintenance, computer technicians and support staff.
82.9%: proportion of female support staff.
100-plus: medical staff, with privileges at Watauga. Includes emergency room physicians.
18%: proportion of female physicians.
7,908: inpatients (who spent at least one night in hospital), for the 3-hospital system.
30,637: emergency department visits for the 3-hospital system.
5,900: surgeries (Watauga Medical Center and Cannon only. Blowing Rock conducts no surgeries).
60% approximately: proportion of female patients.
$6.4 million: amount written off for patients who met the system’s charity care guidelines in the 3 hospitals and the medical practice management group.
$4.5 million: charity care amount in 2006-07.
$952,000: value of prescription medication received from pharmaceutical companies on behalf of patients of the Appalachian Healthcare Project, an outreach program of the 3 hospitals.
$250,000: value of donation of local doctors’ time for charity care.
10,919: number of people served by community outreach (mostly Watauga and Avery counties) for blood pressure, cholesterol or cancer screening; car seat safety, bike helmet safety and sun safety programs. Farmworker Health also services Caldwell County.
In top 2%: Watauga Medical Center’s position among hospitals assessed for quality of care and patient satisfaction. One of the top 36 hospitals nationwide that received the Outstanding Patient Experience Designation.
$3.1 million: amount raised through the Appalachian Regional Healthcare Foundation to help buy radiation equipment; to help with the re-opening of the Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit at Cannon Memorial; for an electronic medical records system in its emergency department, and to help convert Radiology to digital; and to buy new beds and tray systems for Blowing Rock Hospital.
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