The Hospital Authority of Tift County, which operates Tifton, Ga.-based Tift Regional Health System, unanimously voted Feb. 21 to restructure the health system into a charitable nonprofit.
Here are four things to know about the restructuring.
1. Officials are restructuring the health system to ensure "strategic flexibility" in the changing healthcare market, according to a Feb. 22 statement from Tift Regional. Doing so would also allow the hospital to treat patients outside county lines, which is where most of the health system's patient population comes from, according to Tift Regional Health System President and COO Christopher Dorman.
"Only 50 percent of Tift Regional's patients come from Tift County. The other 50 percent comes from our 11 surrounding counties and beyond. Having a regional presence allows us to offer [additional] services ... normally reserved for larger metropolitan cities. By expanding our scope of services and service area, we envision offering additional specialties in the future," he said.
2. Jimmy Allen, chairman of the Hospital Authority of Tift County, said Tift Regional is late to the game in terms restructuring into a nonprofit.
"About 16 percent of Georgia's 159 hospitals still operate under a hospital authority. Most hospitals converted to a 501(c)(3) organization years ago. Our current structure under a hospital authority has its advantages, but it can also constrain outreach and growth," said Mr. Allen.
3. Mr. Allen said the health system's current board will remain in place while subsidiary boards will oversee the organization's acute care services, physicians services and population health management initiatives.
4. The restructuring process will take approximately one year.