Aug 28 2012
Aurora
Health Care and IASIS
Healthcare today announced a wide ranging partnership which includes
the formation of a development joint venture, Aurora IASIS Health
Partners, to pursue healthcare acquisitions, new construction,
management of facilities and development of clinical services with an
initial focus on new and existing markets in Wisconsin and northern
Illinois. Aurora IASIS Health Partners will evaluate opportunities in
other markets on a case-by-case basis.
The first project announced is a cancer care center in Kenosha, Wis. In
addition to the joint venture, Aurora and IASIS are exploring a variety
of other affiliations including sharing clinical practices and
leveraging operational capabilities across the two organizations.
This unique collaboration positions both Aurora, one of the nation's
largest integrated not-for-profit systems, and IASIS, the nation's
largest privately held hospital company, at the forefront of
organizations developing pragmatic and innovative responses to
challenges presented by the changing dynamics of the U.S. healthcare
industry.
"This partnership advances our strategy of providing our patients and
communities with value in the form of high quality, affordable,
accessible healthcare," said Nick Turkal, MD, CEO of Aurora Health Care,
a $4 billion integrated health system headquartered in Milwaukee.
"Healthcare is undergoing rapid and fundamental change and leading edge
systems are finding ways to manage these changes. We believe, and
national trends support this fact, that partnerships will be critical to
meeting the challenges of the future. In IASIS, we have found a strong
organization like ours, with a compatible purpose and culture that
brings complementary strengths to our organization."
"This groundbreaking joint venture brings together two organizations
nationally recognized for clinical quality, operational excellence and a
commitment to patient-centered care," said Carl Whitmer, President and
CEO of IASIS Healthcare, a $2.6 billion system headquartered in
Franklin, Tennessee and operating healthcare facilities in seven states.
"Our combination of two large healthcare organizations, with
complementary areas of expertise, creates new development and
affiliation opportunities, access to financial and human resources to
achieve strategic growth initiatives, and a unique ability for us to
respond to hospitals and healthcare systems looking for a strong
strategic partner."
The first project of Aurora IASIS Health Partners is the development of
a cancer care center on property just west of Aurora Medical
Center-Kenosha. The new 11,000 square foot facility will expand patient
access to outpatient radiological oncology services in southeastern
Wisconsin and northern Illinois, which are now limited by space and
technological constraints at Aurora Medical Center-Kenosha. Other
clinical service offerings also may be part of the campus where the
cancer center will be built. These plans will be announced at a later
date.
"This project exemplifies one of the ultimate goals of our partnership:
to enhance access and care for patients in ways that are cost-effective
and will combine the expertise and capabilities of Aurora and IASIS,"
Turkal said.
Whitmer added, "Like Aurora, IASIS has a strong record of providing
high-quality services at exceptional value for our patients and payors,
and this collaboration signals another major step forward for each of
our organizations. This partnership can capitalize on value-added
pay-for-performance initiatives in this new era of healthcare delivery
which will benefit each of our organizations and the patients we so
proudly serve."
Aurora and IASIS also may engage in various areas of clinical
affiliation, including transplant programs, clinical research projects,
physician practice management collaboration, managed care initiatives
for Aurora patients covered by Medicaid, medical management programs and
shared clinical protocols. The organizations anticipate making future
announcements about these initiatives and other development
opportunities to be pursued by this partnership.
Source: Aurora Health Care