Rome Memorial suspends affiliation talks with Bassett, to explore other options

ROME, N.Y. — The board of trustees of Rome Memorial Hospital (RMH) on Tuesday decided to suspend affiliation discussions with Bassett Medical Center.

Bassett Medical Center is part of the Bassett Healthcare Network, which is based in Cooperstown.

The RMH board also decided to explore “collaborative” relationships with other interested organizations in the region.

Dr. Chester Patrick, chairman of the RMH board, made the announcement in a news release distributed on Tuesday.

The board voted “unanimously” to approve the recommendation that Basil Ariglio, president and CEO of RMH, made in consultation with the hospital’s consultant and legal counsel, said Patrick.

The decision follows “several months of careful evaluation,” RMH said in the news release.

RMH’s board three years ago made the decision to explore opportunities to collaborate with other organizations to prepare for the “changing healthcare environment,” according to its news release. 

The board developed specific community objectives based upon feedback from a cross-section of members of the medical staff and community members and initiated discussions with several organizations.

RMH in November 2013 signed a nonbinding letter of intent to explore an affiliation relationship with Bassett.

In many respects, RMH and Bassett Medical are “like-minded organizations,” Ariglio said in the news release.

“We share a commitment to clinical quality and recognize the imperative to deliver efficient and cost-effective care,” said Ariglio.  “However, as we moved through the process, it became apparent that the relationship with Bassett would not satisfy the objectives of the hospital or the people we serve.”

Ariglio also emphasized in the news release that the hospital’s effort to find an affiliation partner will continue.

“We will renew discussions with other organizations, who have continued to express interest in collaborating with us to strengthen the continuum of care for our community,” Ariglio said.

Even though RMH decided to move in a different direction, “the imperative to collaborate hasn’t changed,” he explained.

 “We need to be prepared for new risk-based contracts that reward providers for keeping our patients healthy.  The only way to improve our population’s health is through better care coordination, built upon a strong foundation of primary and preventative care.  The process we went through over the last 11 months has been invaluable and will assist the hospital as we evaluate future affiliation opportunities,” said Ariglio.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com