ROME — Rome Memorial Hospital (RMH) and Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown have signed a non-binding letter of intent to develop a “collaborative relationship.”
With the signing of the letter of intent, RMH aims to become a “corporate affiliate” of Bassett while remaining an “operationally distinct hospital with local autonomy,” Basil J. Ariglio, president and CEO of RMH, said in a joint news release.
The organizations will begin the due-diligence process to finalize an agreement on the arrangement.
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RMH and Bassett expect the due-diligence process to take a minimum of six months. As part of the final agreement, RMH’s senior management and board of directors would retain decision-making autonomy over employment matters.
The health-care organizations hope the relationship “strengthens the continuum of care for the community and positions both organizations for the changing healthcare industry,” RMH and Bassett said in the joint news release.
The RMH board of trustees two years ago made the decision to “explore opportunities to collaborate,” Ariglio said.
“Our board unanimously decided to pursue a collaborative relationship with Bassett because we share a common vision of what’s necessary to improve the delivery of healthcare services in our region,” Ariglio said. “Establishing a relationship with Bassett will also help Rome expand primary care access and address physician shortages.”
The joint statement doesn’t address any potential impact the partnership might have on staffing levels at RMH.
The partnership Rome and Bassett are “exploring” can help both systems address the needs of patients in the changing healthcare environment,” Dr. William Streck, Bassett president and CEO, said in the news release.
“Further, an affiliation would help prepare both organizations for new reimbursement models that focus on managing the population’s health more cost-effectively,” says Streck.
The Bassett Healthcare Network is a health-care system that provides care and services to people living in an eight-county region covering 5,000 square miles in upstate New York.
The organization includes six corporately-affiliated hospitals, nursing facilities, health centers, and health partners in related fields, according to the news release.
With 130 licensed, acute-care beds, RMH would become the second largest hospital in the Bassett system, the organizations said.
RMH would “strengthen” the network’s continuum of services with its own 80-bed nursing facility and affiliated primary and specialty physician practices, according to the release.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
