Regional Not-for-Profit Consolidates Oversight to Advance Consistent Service
and Quality
Winchester, VA, May 10, 2016 -- The Valley Health System Board of Trustees announced today that the
boards of its four Virginia hospitals -- Page Memorial Hospital, Shenandoah
Memorial Hospital, Warren Memorial Hospital and Winchester Medical Center
-- will be consolidated with the Valley Health Board into one governing
body effective June, 2016. The governance and management of Valley Health’s
two West Virginia hospitals, Hampshire Memorial Hospital and War Memorial
Hospital, were consolidated under one Board in 2014 and will not be impacted.
In 2013, Valley Health completed a five-year strategic plan that included
the study, development and implementation of a more effective governance
structure in response to dramatic changes in health care delivery and
financing. It had become clear to the various boards, medical staffs,
and management leadership that change was needed in order to operate more
effectively as one organization, using standardized protocols, and delivering
reliably consistent care in every location. The Boards of Trustees of
Valley Health and the four Virginia hospitals approved the streamlining
plan in late 2015.
The reorganization will be beneficial in several ways, according to Valley
Health System President and CEO Mark H. Merrill. “First and foremost,
the restructuring will support our goal to create a world-class patient
experience that is consistent from one Valley Health hospital to the next,”
he explains. Standardized care is crucial as healthcare transitions to
outcomes-based performance and reimbursement. Consistency also reduces
risk and improves service quality. “Board consolidation will improve
System-wide ‘line of sight’” Merrill continues, “creating clear and visible links between Valley
Health goals and objectives and System initiatives to achieve desired
outcomes in our mission to be a high reliability organization.”
Leaders are confident the reorganization will also increase accountability,
operational efficiencies and medical staff alignment.
Membership and responsibilities of the reconfigured Board conform to requirements
of The Joint Commission, the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services
(CMS), the Internal Revenue Service and other mandated guidelines for
hospitals and not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organizations. The Valley Health
Board of Trustees will be supported by a Community Advisory Council (CAC)
and a Quality and Medical Affairs Committee (QMAC), which will provide
additional oversight of Valley Health’s quality, safety, patient
satisfaction and performance improvement activities, and community service.
“This reorganization will streamline management and governance of
Valley Health and allow us to deliver care more effectively and efficiently
to our patients and community,” notes Board Chairman Joseph Silek.
“Valley Health management will remain closely connected to community
leadership. The reorganization was intentionally structured to include
an active Community Advisory Council to ensure a high degree of responsiveness
to local and regional interests.”
Community Advisory Council (CAC): The CAC will serve as a liaison between the VHS Board and local communities
served by Valley Health hospitals, providing feedback and input to the
Board. The CAC will be structured to represent Valley Health’s diverse
service area, with initial membership recommendations coming from the
four standing hospital boards.
Quality and Medical Affairs Committee (QMAC): The QMAC will serve as a committee of the VHS Board and will consist of
trustees, physicians and other representatives from across the system.
Its role will be to coordinate System-wide medical leadership, serve as
a forum for quality and credentialing, and develop processes to monitor
and address healthcare quality, performance improvement and infection control.
“As always, our priority is to provide high quality, safe health
care for our patients and the communities we are privileged to serve,”
adds Merrill. “The demands of the evolving healthcare environment
require strategic management, corporate nimbleness and operational efficiency,
especially as hospitals and hospital systems strive to balance first-rate
patient care while maintaining fiscal stability. I applaud the tremendous
leadership of the boards of Valley Health System and our four Virginia
hospitals for their forward-thinking embrace of this model as we work
together to meet the new demands of health care through the reorganization
of Valley Health’s governance structure. These leaders have embraced
change and Valley Health will be stronger because of their foresight and
vision.”
The following individuals will serve on the restructured Valley Health
System Board of Trustees:
- Joseph F. Silek, Jr. - Chair
- Patrick D. Ireland, MD - Vice Chair
- Thomas T. Gilpin - Secretary
- Steven E. Cluss
- James W. Freilich, MD
- Sherif Z. Kaiser, MD
- Douglas B. Keim, MD
- Jim Long
- Mark H. Merrill, President and CEO
- James K. Nashed, MD
- Faith B. Power
- Mary Beth Price
- Clifton L. “Kip” Rutherford
- Jeffrey A. Skiles, MD
- Harry S. Smith
- Audrea H. Wynn, MD
- At-Large Physician TBD
About Valley Health
Valley Health, based in Winchester, VA, is a not-for-profit health system
serving a population of more than 450,000 in northwest Virginia, West
Virginia’s eastern panhandle, and western Maryland. Valley Health
includes six hospitals: Winchester Medical Center, a 445-bed regional
referral center; Warren Memorial Hospital in Front Royal, Va.; Shenandoah
Memorial Hospital in Woodstock, Va.; Page Memorial Hospital in Luray,
Va.; Hampshire Memorial Hospital in Romney, W.Va.; and War Memorial Hospital
in Berkeley Springs, W.Va. Additional services include physician practices,
regional medical transport, a retail pharmacy and Urgent Care centers
in three communities. Visit valleyhealthlink.com.
Contact:
Carol Weare, Public Relations Manager
Office: 540-536-5152 Mobile: 540-303-0152
cweare@valleyhealthlink.com