“We would like to see more of that,” he said. “We want to be doing those types of announcements every year, continuing to invest in our physical plan and in the communities, as we regionalize and continue those investments.”
With growth comes integration. Along with the Weirton hospital acquisition, WVU Medicine has acquired 12 other hospitals over the last three to four years. The goal now is to get the facilities onboard with Epic’s EHR platform.
Mr. Barcellona said integration starts with open and transparent communication, and while the goal is “seamless integration,” it’s important to set realistic timelines and expectations.
“It’s really trying to shift that mindset from integration to optimization, and in parallel with that, investing in breadth and depth across all of these new members of the WVU Medicine family,” he said.
Another way the system plans to expand is through Peak Health, a health insurance service company that WVU Medicine launched in January 2023 with Huntington, W.Va.-based Marshall Health Network and Winchester, Va.-based Valley Health.
Mr. Barcellona said Peak Health plans to continue expansion on the number of people covered by its services.
“We’re evolving and growing, and we’re an organization that’s never satisfied,” he said. “We’re always looking to improve. All of the things we’re working on are focused on the future, which can be exhausting sometimes, but for me as one of the leaders part of this great team, our culture is key, that’s our secret sauce for future success.”
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