Wayne HealthCare moves forward with joint venture with Premier Health

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GREENVILLE — Wayne HealthCare and Premier Health plan to move forward with a new joint venture after receiving final approval on March 23 from the Wayne Hospital Company, a community board that oversees the hospital.

The joint venture will create a framework within which Wayne HealthCare can develop an affiliate relationship with Premier Health while still maintaining independent, local control. It also will enable Wayne HealthCare to complete its master facility plan.

“This broader relationship with Premier Health allows us to provide the citizens of Greenville and Darke County with more health care services close to home,” said Wayne Deschambeau, president and CEO of Wayne HealthCare. “We have been pleased to work alongside Premier Health in the past, and look forward to taking that collaboration to the next level.”

The new joint venture will provide opportunities for the two organizations to work more closely together in areas such as strategic development, both at the hospital and system level, as well as on education, training and possible group economies of scale in purchasing.

Future projects will include support from Premier Health for the Wayne HealthCare master facility plan that includes a three-story building to house a new obstetrical center, wellness center, a telemetry inpatient unit with 28 private beds, and a replacement for the Wayne Medical Building.

This further long term collaboration to enhance health care services is designed to improve hospital operational efficiency and help decrease the cost of care as well. Keeping the services close to home provides convenience to community members, reduces drive time, and increases access to the care they need in a familiar setting.

“We’re excited and humbled by Wayne HealthCare’s vote of confidence in this affiliation,” said Mary Boosalis, president and CEO of Premier Health. “We very much respect Wayne HealthCare’s tradition of independence and have no doubt that each organization will learn a great deal from the other. In addition, we hope to demonstrate the value that local citizens can gain when a community hospital collaborates with a regional health system.”

The joint venture will be structured in a seven-year contractual relationship. At the end of the contract term, Wayne HealthCare will have the right to continue the relationship without change, request a restructuring of the contract elements or dissolve the joint venture.

During the contract period, Premier will make a $13 million investment in Wayne HealthCare. In return, Premier will be entitled to a one-third representation on the Wayne HealthCare Board. Wayne HealthCare will have two ex-officio non-voting seats on the Premier Board. In addition, Wayne HealthCare senior leadership and physicians will participate in applicable Premier leadership conferences and planning sessions.

“We are eager to embark upon this joint venture, which has all the hallmarks of an enduring relationship,” said Anita Moore, chair of the Premier Health board of trustees. “Both of our organizations share similar missions and visions to improve the health of the communities we serve, and we at Premier can’t wait to see what we can accomplish when we work more closely together.”

This next step in a long standing collaborative relationship, builds upon several already successful endeavors including the Wayne Cancer Center, a tele-stroke program, and the Good Samaritan Health Center-Greenville.

“Premier Health has proven itself to be a good partner, so we’re looking forward to the possibilities created by this joint venture,” said Dr. William Johnston, chair of the Wayne HealthCare board of trustees. “We think Darke County residents will find that this new collaboration will make a meaningful difference in the health care services available to them.”

Staff report

About Wayne HealthCare

Wayne HealthCare (www.waynehealthcare.org) is a rural, 92-bed non-profit acute care hospital located in Greenville, Ohio. The hospital provides inpatient and outpatient services to patients in the Darke County community, including cancer care, telemedicine, perioperative services and community wellness. With approximately 450 employees and 250 credentialed providers, Wayne HealthCare is proud to be an independent hospital in Southwest Ohio.

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