Valley Health System and the area’s largest cardiology practice,
Winchester Cardiology & Vascular Medicine, PC, have entered into a
formal agreement to collaborate more closely to advance heart and vascular
services, expand patient access to cardiovascular care in the region,
and ensure quality, efficiency and patient experience. The agreement will
take effect May 1, 2018.
“To accelerate innovation, maintain superiority as a destination
for heart and vascular care, and increase access to cardiovascular care
for our growing population, our leadership team recognized a need to expand
the services and capabilities we offer to patients,” notes Valley
Health President and CEO Mark H. Merrill. “I am pleased we have
taken the next step in furthering our Heart & Vascular program through
this strategic partnership with Winchester Cardiology and Vascular Medicine.”
The agreement builds on Winchester Medical Center’s decades-long
collaboration with the practice’s cardiologists. Through closer
engagement, Valley Health and WCVM leaders plan to accelerate the growth
of advanced heart failure services, structural heart services, electrophysiology/advanced
arrhythmia services, and advanced cardiac imaging, and expand physician
access already provided at each Valley Health location. A major development
which illustrates the promise of the new relationship is the opening of
a cardiac catheterization lab at Warren Memorial Hospital in Front Royal,
which will soon see its first patient. A stronger health system-practice
relationship will boost physician recruitment so that additional top-tier
cardiologists will join the practice and help meet the demand for heart
specialty care.
“Valley Health has been building its cardiovascular program, in partnership
with WCVM physicians, for nearly 40 years,” says Grady W. “Skip”
Phillips, III, FACHE, Senior Vice President, Valley Health, and President,
Winchester Medical Center. “We have a shared vision for advancing
heart and vascular care, and this expanded relationship will help us continue
to provide innovative destination services throughout the region.”
The agreement will also allow for an integrated approach to strengthen
coordination of heart and vascular care across the continuum between the
office practices, hospitals and post-acute care settings. By using tools
such as shared electronic medical records, Valley Health and WCVM will
be better able to foster efficiency in the delivery of care, improve patient
health and enhance the quality of care.
“This arrangement with Valley Health will allow us to advance care
for our patients and bring the most innovative cardiovascular services
to the Shenandoah Valley and surrounding region,” says Trisha Nashed,
MD, president, Winchester Cardiology and Vascular Medicine. “The
mission of our practice is to provide excellent cardiovascular care and
the highest quality service to our patients and referring physicians.
Our strengthened partnership with Valley Health will enhance care for
our patients and position us for the future.”
WCVM employs 100 staff, including 16 physicians and 6 advance practice
clinicians who serve patients in Winchester, Martinsburg and six outreach clinics.
Valley Health and WCVM leaders describe their new relationship as “independent
integration,” an arrangement which leaves the practice’s physician-driven
governance intact, while offering greater strategic alignment with the
region’s leading healthcare system.
Building on its history of “firsts” – including the region’s
first cardiac catheterization lab in 1980, followed by open heart surgery
in 1984, and a hybrid surgical suite for transcatheter aortic valve replacements
and more in 2016 – Valley Health Winchester Medical Center continues
to draw patients from the wider region for high quality care, closer to home.
“We pride ourselves on providing the most advanced and comprehensive
cardiovascular care, tailored to the needs of each patient,” says
cardiothoracic surgeon Basel Ramlawi, MD, chairman of Valley Health’s
Heart & Vascular Center. “Having a closer strategic partnership
with our largest cardiology practice will offer patients throughout the
region better access to care that will improve their health and quality
of life.”