ELKINS, W.Va. — The consolidation of healthcare in West Virginia continues to take shape. Vandalia Health, anchored by the Charleston Area Medical Center, recently announced another expansion of its network putting Davis Health System into an alliance with other Vandalia Health members.
“What we try to do is keep patients close to home. We can do that by offering some of our sub-specialty care, guidance, and administration. We do a lot of telehealth and telemedicine,” said Vandalia Health CEO Dave Ramsey.
Ramsey said they have historically worked with the Davis Health System on a variety of healthcare needs. But this is a formal operating agreement . Although it gives Davis Memorial the much larger backdrop of healthcare options offered by CAMC and others in the Vandalia a family, it will also allow them to remain an autonomous hospital.
“This will add a tremendous capability to our facility and our hospital and to the communities which we serve,” said Davis Health President and CEO Vance Jackson.
The agreement is described in a press release as a “strategic partnership” between the two institutions. The two healthcare providers said there would be an immediate impact in four specific areas:
–The CAMC Cancer Center, which treats more patients with cancer than any other hospital in West Virginia, will support DMC’s Cancer Care Center in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients.
–Telemedicine Centers at DMC, Webster and Broaddus Critical Access Hospitals, will bring easier access to CAMC specialists. Advanced technology will allow patients to connect with specialists without leaving their community.
–Davis Medical Center’s new inpatient dialysis program will be supported via the medical direction of CAMC’s Nephrology Department.
–Telemedicine will also support the addition of needed specialties like critical care and surgical subspecialty services.
“We’re very excited about working with them on dialysis services here at the hospital and as time passes, we’ll have more ambulatory, sub-specialty care offered here on site,” Ramsey said.
“We’re very excited about entering this clinical partnership. We hope it’s the start of a broad relationship with Vandalia Health. These initial services are exactly what we need to offer capabilities that our community has not had up to this point,” said Jackson.