To download this document, please click here.

November 20, 2013

To All Elected Officials:

HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley continues to make considerable progress with the transformation plan for our entities. Nearing the next phase in planning and implementation, the Board of Director’s executive committee supported by the executive team has decided to move forward with a revised approach that will assist in providing better patient care and an improved overall patient experience. Rather than continue to
devote efforts toward planning our future based on the current system of healthcare, which has been shown to yield unsustainable costs, unimproved quality of care, and low patient satisfaction, our new approach will focus heavily on preparations for the dynamic future ahead, which will focus primarily on outcomes involving efficient, high-quality care.

In anticipation of significant changes across the healthcare landscape from local to national levels, it is clear that in order to remain successful we must fully embrace these changes. As current forces of healthcare make way for future practices, our measurements of success will be based on quality, cost and convenience.

Working closely with the New York State Department of Health to achieve a financially sound solution to preserve the delivery of critically needed services in the community, HealthAlliance has been awarded $6.5 million to carry out an updated, communityfocused plan. With this funding, HealthAlliance plans to first collaborate with future affiliates and partner with community physicians. In doing so, we can broaden the patient care delivery model to include other acute care partners and non-hospital providers such as long-term care, mental health and home health providers – providing an all-encompassing medical perimeter for our community.

Attempting to evolve with the current and future healthcare environment, this plan adjusts priorities, shifting the immediate focus of consolidation and facility redesign to a more proactive course of action. This approach does not hinder progress. In fact, the new model, optimized for future investments, will offer a more viable, long-term infrastructure, and help ensure access and investment in services.

The plan includes developing an aligned physician network, which will enable collaboration among a unified group of physicians. HealthAlliance plans to work with these physicians to improve coordination and communication of patient care, and develop best practices using advanced information systems to measure outcomes. This process aims to positively impact patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes while reducing costs associated with waste and inefficiency.

Sustained efforts in identifying an affiliate are expected to support the physician alignment process. Currently, HealthAlliance continues discussions with several potential corporate partners such as Albany County-based Albany Medical Center, Dutchess County-based Health Quest, and Montefiore Medical Center based out of the Bronx. Each prospect offers different strengths to a partnership. Overall benefits of an affiliate partnership are expected to include, providing our physicians with tools to enhance their practices and aid them in adapting to new patient care models, giving us access to physician specialists in areas where we’ve previously experienced difficulty recruiting, and providing funding that will allow us to invest in our employees, facilities and equipment.

The preceding stages of identifying an affiliate and physician alignment, both platforms for growth, will serve as forces in determining the outcome of the overall consolidation and facility redesign of HealthAlliance. Though confident in this model, as it proves to be the most logical approach to planning our future, we need your continued support in order to be successful.

As the largest employer in Ulster County, we never forget our responsibility to deliver healthcare services and secure the current and future economic stability of the region. Every effort will be made to optimize services, minimize job losses and repurpose any remaining facility.

All constituents of HealthAlliance, physicians, employees, board members, politicians and members of the state alike, have a responsibility to preserve and enhance the quality of healthcare services that have evolved in Kingston over the last 100 years. While we take great pride in our history, we look forward to this opportunity to pioneer the future of healthcare with a new model of excellence along with the continued support of our dedicated local politicians.

Sincerely,
David Scarpino
President & CEO

“I couldn’t be more pleased that the Health Alliance of the Hudson Valley has revisited their approach for the future of healthcare in the City of Kingston. They are working with the NY Department of Health to find a solution to preserve the health services in our community and it goes along with the “BEAT” initiative for revitalization of the Broadway Corridor", commented Mayor Gallo.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

To download this document, please click here.

www.hahv.org

HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley® Receives NYS Department of Health Support for Enhanced Regional Planning Approach

“The healthcare landscape, whether it is national, state, or local, is rapidly changing and in order to be successful it is incumbent on us to embrace those changes,” says President and Chief Executive Officer David Scarpino. “We are entering a period where quality, cost, and convenience are the forces driving the delivery of healthcare.”

The revised approach entails a deliberate and community-focused shift in priorities, adapting to the current forces of healthcare, which will focus primarily on outcomes involving efficient, high-quality care. By refocusing priorities, both the Department of Health and HealthAlliance expect this optimized model to offer a more viable, long-term infrastructure, and help ensure future access and investment in services.

The plan includes developing an aligned physician network, which will enable collaboration among a unified group of physicians. HealthAlliance plans to work with these physicians to improve coordination and communication of patient care, and develop best practices using advanced information systems to measure outcomes. This process aims to positively impact patient satisfaction and clinical results while reducing costs associated with waste and inefficiency.

Sustained efforts in identifying an affiliate are expected to support the physician alignment process. Currently, HealthAlliance continues discussions with several potential corporate partners such as Albany County-based Albany Medical Center, Dutchess County-based Health Quest, and Montefiore Medical Center based out of the Bronx. Each prospect offers different strengths to a partnership. Overall benefits of an affiliate partnership are expected to include, providing physicians with tools to enhance their practices and aid in adapting to new patient care models and innovations, giving HealthAlliance access to physician specialists in areas in which recruiting was previously difficult, and providing funding that will allow HealthAlliance to invest in employees, facilities and equipment.

HealthAlliance appreciates the support of its elected officials throughout the transformation process. Both New York Assemblyman Kevin Cahill and Ulster County Executive Mike Hein individually reached out to NYS officials to express their support of HealthAlliance’s plan. The HealthAlliance Board of Directors, also in full support of this new approach, shares their enthusiasm for the future of the hospital and its mission to provide a better patient experience and better patient care at a more affordable cost for all.

“We are in a very exciting time, despite the challenges, and I am confident that our executive team and board of directors will lead us through,” says board president Kevin Ryan. “The opportunity for us to partner with an affiliate and to more closely align with our skilled medical staff is the key to effectively transforming healthcare in our community.”

###