Pawnee Valley Community Hospital is proud to announce it is a founding member of the new Kansas High Value Network (KS-HVN), a collaboration of seven independent hospitals across rural Kansas working together to strengthen healthcare in their communities.
The purpose of the KS-HVN is to provide member hospitals with the benefits of size and shared resources while retaining the ability to tailor decisions about healthcare in our community to the needs of our patients and providers.
KS-HVN members also will collaborate to lower the cost of purchasing equipment and services, and share operational best practices.
KS-HVN’s foundation is a clinically integrated network (CIN) that serves approximately 190,000 patients across the seven member hospitals. The CIN will focus on improving care coordination, enhancing quality outcomes and reducing administrative burdens for providers. It will also position member hospitals to work more effectively with insurers in value-based care arrangements.
We are also pleased to share that Melanie Urban, PVCH Administrator, serves as a board member of the network, helping guide this work on behalf of our organization and community.
“This is an important step for the long-term strength of rural healthcare,” said Urban. “It allows us to be more intentional in how we deliver care and prepare for the future, while remaining grounded in the needs of the people and families we serve here in Larned and the surrounding communities. I believe strongly in this work and in our ability to continue meeting the needs of our community.”
Pawnee Valley Community Hospital is proud to partner with other rural hospitals across Kansas in this effort and looks forward to the positive impact this collaboration will have on the communities we serve.
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What is the Kansas High Value Network?
Seven (and growing) rural independent hospitals are launching the Kansas High Value Network to collaborate on clinical and business initiatives to strengthen healthcare in rural communities across the state. Pawnee Valley Community Hospital is a founding member of this growing network.
The network’s foundation is a clinically integrated network (CIN) caring for a population of approximately 190,000 patients. The CIN will drive KS-HVN’s quality enhancement initiatives and care coordination efforts and reduce administrative burdens for providers.
Why is PVCH joining the KS-HVN?
Many of the toughest challenges in healthcare have pushed hospitals and physician groups to combine into larger health systems, because economies of size and scale are crucial to building the capabilities needed to meet these challenges.
Larger health systems based in Kansas’s largest cities have a critical role to play in caring for our communities, as some patients will continue to need the very specialized care delivered in academic medical centers.
That said, patients in our community are best served by preserving our hospital’s dedicated focus on serving the needs of patients and providers in our community. KSHVN helps our members gain the benefits of size and scale without giving up the ability to tailor decisions to the needs of their local communities.
Will you still accept my health insurance?
Yes, joining KS-HVN has no immediate impact on our contracts with health insurers. As the collaboration deepens among members, the network will be a strong partner with insurers on value-based insurance products that improve quality, reduce cost, and enhance patient and provider experience.
Which hospitals are the charter members of the network?
The network is starting with seven founding hospitals across Kansas. We are actively welcoming other Kansas hospitals to join us. The charter members are:
- Pawnee Valley Community Hospital in Larned
- Gove County Medical Center in Quinter
- Hays Medical Center in Hays
- Patterson Health Center in Anthony
- NMC Health in Newton
- Clara Barton in Hoisington
- Scott County Hospital in Scott City
What are some specific benefits patients will see from PVCH joining this network?
Sustaining high-quality care in our community for the long term is great news for patients. Here are some specific benefits that patients will see from PVCH’s membership in the Kansas High Value Network:
- Clinical initiatives through the KS-HVN will enable members to benchmark their performance and find areas to further enhance clinical quality, while Care Coordination initiatives close care gaps and reduce unnecessary ER visits while improving overall community health.
- The data platform members will participate in enables better care coordination for patients who need treatment at multiple locations.
- Reducing administrative burdens on clinicians leaves them more time to focus on patients, and over time, can help reduce burnout. That helps us retain excellent physicians and other providers in our community.
- The members can work together with payers on value-based arrangements that an individual member may not be able to do on its own. Patients benefit when insurers and hospitals develop these win-win relationships.
- The members will bolster their ability to control costs for equipment and contracted services by negotiating as a group, and controlling these costs helps maintain affordability for patients.
Is PVCH being sold to a big health system?
No. Pawnee Valley Community Hospital, like every member of KS-HVN, remains an independent hospital that can focus on the needs of our community. KS-HVN is more like a farmer’s cooperative: A cooperative fosters collaboration and handles some tasks jointly for its members, who continue to otherwise operate independently.
How will decisions about healthcare in our community be made after joining the KS-HVN?
Exactly the same way that they are now: Our board and hospital leaders who live and work in our community will continue to make those decisions. We are joining KS-HVN to accomplish things that we cannot do on our own. Making decisions about healthcare in our community is not one of those things.
What does joining the KS-HVN mean for local patients?
By working together with other independent rural hospitals, we will pool our clinical and business know-how to ensure continued access to high-quality care that strengthens our community. These efforts will improve care coordination, support medical practitioners and promote more efficient operations.
As the collaboration deepens among members, the network will be a strong partner with payers on value-based insurance products that improve quality, reduce cost, and enhance patient and provider experience.
Are we joining the KS-HVN because our hospital is in financial trouble?
Like rural hospitals across the country, we are navigating real economic pressures. But what matters most is how we respond, and we are proud of that response. Joining KS-HVN will allow us to take advantage of joint purchasing that saves money, as well as exchange operational best practices with other rural health systems across the state.
How are medical practitioners, nurses, and employees of the hospital affected by joining the KS-HVN?
KS-HVN will promote greater stability and success for its members through its clinical and business initiatives. When our hospitals and clinics thrive, our medical practitioners, nurses, and employees benefit, too. For medical practitioners, the KS-HVN Clinical Integration Committee will be a supportive peer community, nurses and quality coordinators will have the Care Coordination Committee. Business and operational leaders will have a similar peer group.
