UW Medicine, RCCH HealthCare partner for communities’ care

UW Medicine and Tennessee-based healthcare system RCCH HealthCare Partners announce the creation of a public-private partnership to own and operate community hospitals in Washington, Alaska and Idaho.  The partnership will take the form of a limited liability company (LLC) that will own and operate community hospitals or other healthcare entities. RCCH will operate and manage these facilities and UW Medicine will provide clinical and quality expertise. 

Changes in healthcare have created challenges for smaller community hospitals around the region.  Many seek partnerships with larger hospitals and health systems to ensure they can continue to provide quality care to their communities. Often, these partnerships are necessary to maintain access to capital to support growth and quality improvement.

“RCCH has proven expertise in operating community hospitals,” said Dr. Paul Ramsey, CEO of UW Medicine.  “UW Medicine is partnering with RCCH through this public-private partnership to provide expertise in patient safety and quality improvement.  Helping hospitals throughout the region improve their quality and safety is part of UW Medicine’s overall mission to improve the health of the public.”

RCCH will operate and manage each of the community hospitals. The hospitals will retain their unique identities and names but will be further branded as “A UW Medicine Community Health Partner.”

“We are honored to join UW Medicine in this exciting new partnership,” said RCCH Chairman and CEO Marty Rash. “The healthcare landscape in our country is changing rapidly and we look forward to working with a world-class organization like UW Medicine to find the best ways to ensure that high quality care is available to people in communities throughout the region.”

The new partnership and its hospitals will benefit from and leverage UW Medicine’s work to achieve the Triple Aim of improving the patient experience of care (including quality and satisfaction), improving the health of populations, and reducing per-capita cost of healthcare.  UW Medicine and RCCH will be equity owners of the LLC, with each having representives on the organization’s board and quality committee.

“In addition to expanding to new communities, the new partnership will build on our existing relationships in Washington, Idaho and Alaska and should enhance our research, teaching and clinical activities in these states,” said Ramsey.

The first hospital involved in the partnership will be Capital Medical Center in Olympia, Washington. The facility already is owned and operated by RCCH and is a member of the UW Medicine Accountable Care Network. The UW Neighborhood Clinics manage a nearby outpatient clinic in collaboration with the hospital.

“The success we have shared with UW Medicine in Olympia sets the stage for this new partnership,” said Rash. “We look forward to working together to serve hospitals and communities in Washington, Idaho, and Alaska.”

For details about UW Medicine, please visit http://uwmedicine.org/about.