Roane General CEO Doug Bentz “excited to bring more world-class specialty care closer to home”
Posted on 4/25/2023
SPENCER, W.VA. – Roane General Hospital and the West Virginia University Health System, which operates under the brand WVU Medicine, announced today (April 25) a clinical affiliation designed to expand access to specialty care in pursuit of improved patient outcomes and experiences. With this agreement, Roane General, already home to a WVU Cancer Institute clinic, will explore new services to provide patients in Roane County and the surrounding region.
“Building on our cancer care partnership with WVU Medicine, Roane General is excited to bring more world-class specialty care closer to home for our patients,” said Doug Bentz, CEO of Roane General Hospital. “Our community will benefit from greater collaboration with our state’s flagship academic medical center.”
The agreement, effective May 1, identifies pediatrics, urology, and endocrinology as a few of the areas for expanded services at Roane General Hospital.
“This clinical affiliation with Roane General Hospital will help bolster our ability to serve the people of central West Virginia and to bring the healthcare services they need to their community,” Albert L. Wright, Jr., president and CEO of the WVU Health System, said. “We are grateful to Doug and the leadership of Roane General Hospital for partnering with us to continue their legacy of serving Roane County.”
The clinical affiliation agreement will enhance physician and provider recruitment at Roane General through connections with the WVU School of Medicine, the WVU School of Nursing, and co-recruitment initiatives to attract healthcare providers.
“Working together with WVU Medicine to overcome the challenges facing the rural healthcare workforce, particularly in attracting physicians and advanced practitioners, will contribute greatly to improved patient care,” Julie Carr, chief clinical officer of Roane General Hospital, said.
A major goal of the partnership is opening the door to greater integration of patient care across physical locations.
“We’ll be able to better connect our patients who know and trust the care we provide at Roane General with more advanced tertiary services across the WVU Medicine system,” said Brent Watson, M.D., medical director of Roane General Hospital. “One example of the possibilities here is advanced pediatric care. WVU Medicine Children’s is home to nation-leading experts on rare pediatric conditions that require a lot of specialization. This agreement puts us on a path to connect our patients and their families with those physicians through telemedicine, for example.”
While the clinical affiliation agreement provides for greater collaboration and an increased focus on patient outcomes and experiences, the agreement does not affect the governance of either institution. Roane General Hospital will continue to be governed by a board of Roane County community figures under the same corporate structure with the same mission established at the hospital’s founding.
“Roane General Hospital and our team of providers are devoted to our patients,” said Bentz. “Increased collaboration with WVU Medicine is a big step, I’m proud to say, toward improving patient care, outcomes, and experiences.”
For more information on WVU Medicine, visit WVUMedicine.org.
For more information on Roane General Hospital, visit RoaneGeneralHospital.com.
Frequently Asked Questions about the new clinical affiliation agreement
- Why are Roane General Hospital and WVU Medicine entering into this agreement?
Roane General Hospital’s mission is to deliver high-quality, cost-effective healthcare to Roane County and the surrounding region. The clinical affiliation with WVU Medicine will put Roane General on a path to offering more advanced specialty care to our community – think of our existing partnerships with WVU Medicine on stroke services and the WVU Cancer Institute. The affiliation with WVU Medicine will improve Roane General’s ability to recruit healthcare professionals from West Virginia University’s clinical training programs. - Has Roane General entered into clinical affiliation agreements before?
Yes! This is not the first clinical affiliation Roane General has had. Previously, Roane General was part of a clinical affiliation with Charleston Area Medical Center to provide our community additional hospitalist services. We are already a party to WVU Medicine’s group purchasing agreement. We have entered into and exited from clinical affiliation like this before in our history. - Will the agreement change anyone’s employment status?
No. Everyone who is an employee of Roane General Hospital will remain an employee of Roane General Hospital. There will be no changes to compensation, benefits, PTO, or any part of an individual’s employment arrangement, - Will there be any change to how billing is done for services at Roane General Hospital?
No. Roane General Hospital will continue to be responsible for billing, customer service, and MyRGHChart – just like we are now. - Does this agreement impact our hospital’s independence/ownership/governance?
No. Roane General will remain an independent, community hospital governed by our Board of Directors consisting of Roane County community figures.
