GMC AND BILLINGS CLINIC IDENTIFY POTENTIAL AFFILIATION AGREEMENT INITIATIVES

Glendive, Montana, September 21, 2012 - Glendive Medical Center (GMC) and Billings Clinic have identified specific areas that will benefit from a potential affiliation agreement between the two organizations. In the proposed expanded relationship, the two entities will focus on six key areas which include Clinical Integration, Medical Provider Integration, Information Technology, Purchasing, Administration and Governance.

In March 2012, GMC signed a non-binding Letter Of Intent (LOI) to explore affiliation options with Billings Clinic. During the past several months, GMC gathered information and input from community members and other stakeholders during several community forums. The two organizations are currently working on a draft affiliation agreement and completing the necessary due diligence process.

"Although this process is time consuming, we believe that a measured and thorough approach is essential," said Dave Linn, GMC Board Chairman. "We are in the final phase of identifying areas to build a solid foundation upon which we can continue to grow and serve our patients' health care needs and we anticipate that the review process will be completed by the end of the year."

The process has yielded specific initiatives in each of the identified areas, which include the following areas of focus:
 

Clinical Integration

Share best practices for quality patient care and safety
Enhance systems that will help medical providers work collegially in support of patient-centered care
Improve utilization of medical technology and equipment
 

Medical Provider Integration

Promote collegially working relationships among medical providers
Enhance medical provider leadership with an emphasis on creating and supporting processes that are consistent and effective
Adopt best practices for retention and recruitment of medical providers
 

Information Technology

Implement common information technology systems
Utilize system providing seamless transfer of patient information
Achieve, improve and develop "meaningful use" of computer technology for the benefit of patients in the region
 

Purchasing

Participate in value based purchasing opportunities
Monitor processes and quality to measure effectiveness and optimal use of resources
 

Administration

Explore opportunities for shared administration
Improve, coordinate and align regional strategies to meet needs and outcomes in this changing health care environment
 

Governance

Examine opportunities for shared governance and leadership training
Align strategic planning process to identify common priorities

For more information, please visit the Community Awareness section of the GMC web site at www.gmc.org. Community members are invited to participate in discussions concerning GMC by clicking on the Contact Us portion of the web site.

For more information about Billings Clinic, please visit www.billingsclinic.com