Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/748338
T H E U N I O N H O SP I TA L B oa rd of Trustees has beg un a process that it hopes w i l l lead to a n a f f i liation of the hospita l with a la rger hea lthca re system by the sta r t of 2018. I n s et t i n g t he hos pit a l on t h i s course, Rober t Horn, Cha irma n of the Union Hospital Board of Trustees, d i s c lo s e d i n S ept emb er t h at t he Boa rd has engaged Ponder & Co. to advise them in seeking pa r ties who are interested in an aff iliation that will ensure that the Dover hospita l continues to fulfill its mission to provide high-qua lity hea lthcare ser vices to the residents of the Tuscarawas Va lley. Ponder & Co. is a nationa lly recog nized exper t in advising hospita ls seeking potentia l a ff iliations. "Independent, community hospita ls in this region, a round Ohio and in the nation are facing the same rea lity," says Horn. "In order to fulf ill our highest priority, which is high-qua lity hea lthcare for our patients, this hospita l may need to become pa r t of a la rger hea lth system that ha s the resources a nd sca le of operations needed for a hospita l to rema in viable in today 's environment." According to Horn, the work has beg un to identif y criteria of a suitable pa r tner a nd to hopef u lly complete the entire process by the end of nex t yea r. "Like myself, our hospita l Boa rd members a re in business here, we have fa milies here a nd a re life-long residents of the communit y ser ved by Union Hospita l," Horn expla ins. "Our long-term goa l is to ensure the high qua lit y of hea lthca re ser vices offered here will continue for generations to come." Horn points out that Union Hospita l, which has 1,110 sta members, is an attractive community hospita l partner for a larger hea lthcare system. "As we move forward with this process Union Hospita l will be ta lking to a potentia l partner from a position of streng th," says Br uce Ja mes, Union Hospita l President a nd CEO. "Our hospita l facilities a re mostly new or recently renovated a nd we have a beautif u l campus and outlying office buildings. Our employees and medica l staff are fully invested a nd engaged with the hospita l a nd their patients." James reports that f inancia l pres- sures have mounted in recent yea rs a s the hospita l's revenues have not increa sed enoug h to of fset r ising operating costs. " Th is hospita l's moderate size doesn't g ive us sca le to compete in today 's ma rket. The la rge hea lthca re systems have bet ter buying power when it comes to supplies a nd medications," he says. For years, according to James, the hospita l has been control- l i n g ex pen ses where it cou ld w it hout a f fec t i n g pat ient ca re ser vices. To help reduce the gap between revenue a nd expenses in 2016, the hospita l has eliminated 20 full-time jobs as pa r t of a $3-million budget reduction. "Conti nui ng t h is process of employee cutback s i n t he future, however, could mean a reduction in the range of patient ca re ser vices provided by the hospita l," Ja mes says. " Data ha s show n that Union Hospita l is one of the most ef f iciently operated a nd lowest cost hospita ls in the state, offering a good f ina ncia l va lue to patients a nd employers," he said. " We view this move to seek a partner as an opportunity to help us ma inta in a nd continue to improve the hospita l facilities a nd ser vices we've worked to build. " Becom i ng pa r t of a la rger hea lt hca re system ha s t he potentia l to not only help us continue current ser vices, a nd attract a nd reta in physicia ns, but even expa nd in specia lt y a rea s. We will a sk our physicia n leadership to help def ine needs in considering a new partner and make a good hea lthcare system better." ■ to Seek a Partner UNION HOSPITAL in Dover Robert Horn Bruce James 3 0