Glens Falls Hospital discusses “partnership” with Albany Medical

Glens Falls Hospital, one of the North Country’s most important care facilities, has announced that they will begin exploring partnership possibilities with Albany Medical Center.

“It is clear that in order to most effectively meet patient needs in the future amidst the many challenges facing health care, collaborative partnerships with other leading health care providers will be key,” said David Kruczlnicki, president and CEO of Glens Falls Hospital, in a prepared statement.

In a follow-up interview with NCPR, hospital spokeswoman Darlene Raynsford said it’s too early to say whether the effort could result in a full merger between the two facilities, but she declined to rule it out.

“It’s very hard to tell that right now,” Raynsford said.  “We’re just at the beginning stages.  We’re discovering and finding out what is the best for our patients and communities.”

The move comes after several regional hospitals and nursing home facilities announced job cutbacks and other austerity measures, reflecting tighter government reimbursements from Albany and Washington.

Raynsford said financial concerns were one of the issues driving the new partnership.  “Fiscal issues, reimbursements, Obamacare, there’s a lot of factors that play both nationally and locally,” she said.

If the partnership creates new efficiencies at Glens Falls Hospital, the changes could also affect jobs and hiring in the North Country.  The facility currently has an annual budget estimated at roughly $300 million.

The full press release is below:

Today, Albany Medical Center and Glens Falls Hospital announce they have initiated a process to identify opportunities for collaboration that will benefit patients served by each health care organization, and the region as a whole.

 

“It is clear that in order to most effectively meet patient needs in the future amidst the many challenges facing health care, collaborative partnerships with other leading health care providers will be key,” said David G. Kruczlnicki, president and chief executive officer of Glens Falls Hospital, a $300 million/annual revenue health care organization with 28 primary care and specialty-services locations serving six counties throughout the southeastern Adirondacks. “Albany Medical Center and Glens Falls Hospital have a long and successful history of working together in services such as neonatal care, emergency medicine, and interventional cardiology. Today’s announcement is a logical extension of that tradition, and will bring leadership and physicians together to look at new ways to further build on our existing relationship,” said Kruczlnicki.

 

“As the region’s only academic health sciences center, it is our mission to pursue partnerships that will provide educational opportunities and enhance access to care of the highest quality,” said James J. Barba, president and chief executive officer of Albany Medical Center, which includes a 651-bed hospital, a large multi-specialty physician group practice, medical college, and biomedical research enterprise. “We pursue partnerships which allow the needs of three million residents in our 25-county service area to be met completely. We believe discussions with Glens Falls Hospital promise to result in innovation and improvements in patient care.”

 

Leaders of the two organizations began discussions about opportunities for collaboration a few months ago, and secured approval from their respective boards to begin a more formal process. A leadership committee, including administrators and physicians from each entity, is being formed to identify and prioritize new opportunities for collaboration.

 

            Glens Falls Hospital is a comprehensive integrated system of primary care, specialty care and hospital services, serving a six-county region of the southern Adirondacks. With 3,000 employees and 28 regional locations, it is the largest health care provider between Albany and Montreal, offering a wide range of physician services, hospital care, and community health improvement programs. For more information:  www.glensfallshospital.org or facebook.com/GlensFallsHospital.

 

            Albany Medical Center, northeastern New York’s only academic health sciences center, is one of the largest private employers in the Capital Region. It incorporates the 651-bed Albany Medical Center Hospital, which offers the widest range of medical and surgical services in the region, and the Albany Medical College, which trains the next generation of doctors, scientists, and other health care professionals. It also includes a biomedical research enterprise, and the region’s largest physicians practice with 350 doctors. Albany Medical Center works with dozens of community partners to improve the region’s health and quality of life. For more information: www.amc.edu or www.facebook.com/albanymedicalcenter.

Tags: health care, jobs