By Staff 7-19,2016
Cheyenne Regional Medical Center’s trustees announced today that they will be working with the Laramie County Commissioners to host a series of facilitated discussions with local physicians/providers, County Commissioners, hospital board members and management over the next two to three months to guide the health system’s strategic planning process.
“Reforms in healthcare delivery and payment are demanding more affordable, accountable and accessible healthcare,” said Patrick Madigan, Cheyenne Regional’s interim chief executive officer. “As a county memorial hospital, Cheyenne Regional Medical Center is committed to involving our internal stakeholders in helping us determine how best to enhance our ability to address the challenges of the reformed healthcare environment.”
The health system includes both the hospital and Cheyenne Regional Medical Group, and the information-gathering process will include both. CRMG is made up of 17 clinics. Together, the hospital and medical group employ about 2,000 people.
The hospital’s board of trustees and county commissioners agreed last week to retain the national consulting firm Navigant Healthcare to guide the discussions.
“We are asking the facilitator to review objective data and to interview a number of our internal stakeholders on a variety of topics from finances to physician alignment,” said Phyllis Sherard, Cheyenne Regional’s chief strategy officer.
Navigant Healthcare has more than 35 years of healthcare management and strategic business planning experience nationally and has also worked with other Wyoming clients, including the Wyoming Department of Health.
The last time the health system and county commissioners collaborated on strategic planning for Cheyenne Regional was in the fall of 2011.
“A forward-thinking organization the size of Cheyenne Regional should undertake this kind of deliberate planning process every four to five years,” Sherard said. “As we look forward to 2017, when Cheyenne Regional will celebrate its 150th anniversary in service to our community, it is again time to review together the degree to which we are meeting the needs of our community and our capabilities to address the challenges of the future.”
Discussions will focus on several key areas, including clinical performance, clinical integration, patient access and preferences, system finances, physician alignment, services and market share.
“The goal is to obtain a comprehensive assessment of Cheyenne Regional’s current and future strategic, financial and operational performance,” Sherard said.
Part of the information-gathering will focus on the services provided by Cheyenne Regional and strategic options for offering care. The hospital has recently formed a strategic care alliance with Children’s Hospital Colorado to enhance the level of pediatric care offered locally and last week announced that it has formed a joint venture with Cheyenne Radiology Group in providing breast imaging services to the community.
“It is vital that we undertake this level of planning to ensure Cheyenne Regional remains a vibrant, innovative and financially stable provider of high quality care and a crucial economic engine for our county and region,” said Laramie County Commissioner Buck Holmes. “We are looking forward to some very robust and informative discussions.”
