As of January 2012 White County Medical Center (WCMC) will officially begin collaborating in new ways with three of Searcy’s medical practices. WCMC’s goal is to work more closely with the doctors to improve the quality of care delivered in the community.
“The delivery of healthcare is expected to see major changes in the coming months and years; particularly in moving away from fee-for-service care. WCMC is partnering with local physicians to prepare for these changes. Such a transformation includes accountable care organizations and the bundling of payments to healthcare providers. We are positioning ourselves to improve quality and efficiency as we prepare for the future of healthcare,” said WCMC President/CEO Ray Montgomery.
WCMC is collaborating with Searcy Medical Center (SMC), Family Practice Associates (FPA) and White County Oncology (WCO); these practices have a combined total of 42 physicians, two Physician Assistants and over 60 nurses.
“We are excited about the collaboration with WCMC. Numerous long established centers like the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and Scott & White Clinic have built hospital-physician collaborations and have set the bar high for excellence in care. Through this transition, we are working to achieve great things in Searcy healthcare,” said FPA and WCO Administrator Bob Huff.
The clinic’s doctors will contract with a subsidiary created by WCMC which will be called the White County Physicians Group. “This change should have little or no effect on the employees of these clinics and patient care will only be affected positively, as the transition will improve their continuity of care. The bottom line is that healthcare is going to change in Searcy because of the changes that are happening at the state and federal levels through healthcare reform,” said Montgomery.
“The goal is for doctors and hospitals to form a closer alignment in the coordination of medical care for our patients,” said SMC Administrator Mike Howell. A major focus of national healthcare reform is to integrate what is now a largely fragmented healthcare system, where there is often little communication among doctors, hospitals and other providers to share quality data and financial incentives for improving care and cutting costs. “Developing a more integrated delivery system will position our community for the delivery of medical care in the future,” Howell said.
“In order to provide high-quality and cost-effective healthcare for our patients in the current environment it is imperative to partner with a strong local entity, whose strengths compliment, those of our clinic. White County Medical Center is such an entity and we are proud to be even more closely associated with them than we have been in the past. Our success in recruiting and retaining quality specialists and primary care physicians has exceeded most communities in Arkansas of our size; our association with WCMC is a key component of continuity of that success,” said SMC Chairman Clark Fincher, M.D., FACP.
Interest in hospitals consolidating private practices is particularly keen in more rural areas like White County because a partnership makes recruiting physicians to the area more attractive and helps in streamlining the continuum of care for patients. This process is a way for WCMC to prepare for the future of healthcare.
As the leading healthcare provider in a six-county area, White County Medical Center associates strive to create a healthy community by providing quality patient care and participating in community health events. White County Medical Center (WCMC), Searcy Medical Center (SMC), Family Practice Associates (FPA) and White County Oncology (WCO) are located in Searcy at 3214 E Race Avenue, 2900 Hawkins Drive (2505 W Beebe-Capps – SMC West Clinic), 3130 E Race Avenue, Ste. 100 and 415 Rodgers Drive, respectively.
