The LMH Health board of trustees on Wednesday voted to approve an agreement with the University of Kansas Health System, according to an announcement from the hospital.
The move will pave the way for clinical partnerships that increase patients’ access to specialty care in and around Douglas County, according to the release.
The hospital has not been sold and isn’t for sale, according to the release.
“This arrangement ensures that LMH can remain a non-profit, independent community hospital for years to come,” according to the release. “LMH Health is operating from a position of strength, leveraging a well-thought out strategic plan and a significant amount of input from providers and community leaders.”
A team of LMH Health physicians and administrators have been working with the board of trustees since 2019 to explore how a “strategic clinical relationship” might bring new specialists to the community and improve coordination of specialized patient care, according to the release.
“This is an important strategic decision for LMH Health, as we’re implementing a very unique model compared to what we’re seeing across the country,” Russ Johnson, LMH Health president and CEO, said in the release. “Our colleagues at The University of Kansas Health System have been very committed to the mutual dialogue that has created our strategic clinical relationship, and we firmly believe this will result in a collaboration that provides patients with even better access to exceptional care close to home.”
Bob Page, president and CEO of the KU Health System, said in the release that KU is committed to ensuring patients statewide and regionally have access to high-quality care, “close to home when possible.”
“The University of Kansas Health System is a leader in diagnosing and treating the most complex healthcare needs and home to breakthroughs in life-changing treatments,” Page said in the release. “This is a remarkable development for both health systems and for the patients we serve.”
Three collaborations are already planned or underway, according to the release:
- “A new partnership specific to sports medicine called Kansas Sports Medicine, which brings together physicians, clinicians and trainers from LMH Health OrthoKansas and The University of Kansas Health System Orthopedics and Sports Medicine team to provide expanded care at the LMH Health West Campus.”
- “Vascular surgery services are currently being offered within the Lawrence General Surgery suite at the Main Campus thanks to an agreement with a team from The University of Kansas Health System. Since the first week of October, the vascular team has done 92 surgical cases in either the cath lab or operating room.”
- “The University of Kansas Health System is also providing maternal-fetal specialists to the LMH Health Women’s Center on the West Campus. This has enabled hundreds of expectant mothers to receive care in their own community from the best clinicians available in the region.”
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