Q&A About Harrison's Affiliation Process for Stakeholders of Harrison

BREMERTON, Wash., Jan. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following release is being issued by Harrison Medical Center:

Why is Harrison looking to affiliate?

As part of our routine due diligence, we are always looking at the best ways to provide care for patients in our community. Affiliation is just one of those items that are available to us. We have now begun a more formal exploration of that option.

Is Harrison looking at any one organization for affiliation in particular?

No. We are not in formal negotiations with anyone. However, we do intend to do so in the future. In fact, we intend to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to a number of other Health Systems in late January. This proposal asks for an outline of what those systems are willing to do if affiliated with us to expand and improve healthcare services within our region.

Has Harrison spoken with anyone about affiliation?

Of course. We are always speaking with other hospitals. Affiliation is just one of a myriad of topics we discuss. However, again, we are not in formal negotiations with any specific hospital or hospital system.

What about Vision 2015, where we state that Harrison will be an independent, full-service, community hospital?

We remain committed to our vision of providing full-service healthcare within our community as well as our mission of making a positive difference in our patient's lives by providing exceptional healthcare. Independence is not required to ensure that exceptional healthcare is provided locally. The work that we're doing now looks to 2015 and beyond.

What about patient safety?

Any decision regarding affiliation will be based on continuing our quality initiatives as reflected by our positive trend in patient outcomes as well as our continuous improvement in patient safety. In fact, our patient safety record and our low infection rates are some of the best in the state.

Are we insolvent or at risk for closing our doors?

No. Our financials are equal to, or better than, our peers in the state. However, the healthcare industry has faced unprecedented challenges in recent years. The state's budget crisis and a significant decline in federal Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates have cut across organizations of every size. National healthcare reform is expected to create even more change. Harrison continues to balance expense management while still investing in staff, equipment, facilities, and future operations. This work has led us to engage the Claro Group, via our Focused Improvement and Transformation (FIT) program, to streamline our operations, specifically to improve our billing and collections cycle, implement house-wide process improvements, and eliminate waste throughout the organization. This work is essential to our continued success.

SOURCE Harrison Medical Center