LMH Health Provides Update on Strategic Clinical Relationships

During today’s LMH Health Board of Trustees meeting, Russ Johnson, President and CEO, updated the Board on our continued consideration of building a stronger strategic relationship to expand local services and ensure the best care for our patients. 

LMH Health collaborates with all the larger healthcare systems in the region, and the changing nature of healthcare necessitates exploration into more formal relationships.   

Throughout the process, Johnson has affirmed the Board’s steadfast commitment to ensuring that LMH Health remains an independent, community-owned and operated, not-for-profit hospital, and has no interest to enter into an ownership or governance model with another entity that would change that.  Likewise, the hospital and Board remain committed to our purpose to provide care for all, regardless of their ability to pay. As part of our mission, LMH Health provides $25 million in charitable care each year. 

Since 2019, a collaborative team of, physicians, administrators and Board of Trustee members have explored many aspects of how expanding a strategic relationship might strengthen local services, bring new specialists to the community and support our medical staff in areas they believe could make us stronger. This team will evaluate the pros and cons of forming a strategic, clinical relationship in three distinct areas – cardiology, oncology and orthopedic care - and will also expand to include three additional physicians in these specialty care areas. 

In the coming months, the team will review major health system activity in the market and data-driven reports on referral patterns and downstream revenue. They will also host a number of provider education events to share this information and engage in greater conversations with our clinicians about their expectations.