23 Georgia Hospitals Form Stratus Healthcare, Align Improvement Efforts

Stratus Healthcare, an alliance of central and south Georgia hospitals committed to improving healthcare quality, announced its launch this morning.

 The group is comprised of more than 1,500 physicians at 23 hospitals uniting to take advantage of a shared service model while remaining independent institutions.

William T. Richardson, CEO of Tift Regional Medical Center in Tifton, Ga., said that Stratus Healthcare's will work to establish and exchange best practices in every healthcare arena, share resources among member hospitals, develop a coordinated system for sharing information, reduce healthcare costs and collaboratively manage and improve population health in the area.

Ninfa Saunders, RN, president and CEO of Central Georgia Health Systems in Macon, spoke about the plan and vision of Stratus Healthcare.  "Our mission is to enhance the health and wellness of our patients by delivering exceptional care through a connected community of physicians, hospitals and shared services. We have worked so long in a world of fee-for-service. Today we profess to everyone that we will work towards fee-for-volume", she said.

Dr. Saunders added that the four core organizational values will shape the trajectory of Stratus Healthcare. The values include focusing on patient-centered service and compassionate care, innovation through practice and information technology, working together for value and striving to provide exceptional evidence-based care.

The effects of the alliance may not be felt by employees at member hospitals for some time, but the future holds possibility, including work group opportunities and talent sharing, said Dr. Saunders. In the future, Stratus may even look for partners with which to align in its quest to identify gaps in acute care.

Dr. Saunders stressed again how crucial the concept of independence is to the core values of Stratus Healthcare. "Healthcare is local to community as are physicians, board members and governors. By remaining independent, each entity can move forward with a local mission and vision while continuing to keep the patients at the center of what we do," she said. 

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