Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) has signed a definitive agreement to purchase Barrow Regional Medical Center (BRMC) in Winder, Ga., according to a joint announcement by both hospitals.
“We are excited to expand our footprint in Barrow County,” says Carol Burrell, president and CEO of NGHS. “We have already placed physician services already located in this market – primary care, orthopedic and sports medicine services provided through Northeast Georgia Physicians Group and cardiology services provided through The Heart Center of Northeast Georgia Medical Center. The purchase of Barrow Regional Medical Center will further increase our system’s coordination of care for Barrow County residents.”
NGHS opened a new hospital in nearby Braselton in April 2015.
“We have seen volumes increase rapidly at Northeast Georgia Medical Center Braselton since our opening, especially in the Emergency Department,” says Anthony Williamson, president of NGMC Braselton. “Additional capacity in Barrow County, one of the fastest growing areas of our state, will be a great benefit for our system.”
Chad Hatfield, CEO of BRMC, says becoming part of NGHS will benefit the operations and financial stability of the Barrow hospital.
“There are ever-increasing financial pressures on small hospitals as our state and national healthcare landscapes evolve. Infrastructure requirements are increasing and payment models are rapidly changing, especially as we look to a future of population health management,” says Hatfield. “Joining a system like NGHS, that has a regional service distribution and sophisticated infrastructure already in place, is critical. NGHS has a track record of clinical and operational excellence and we’re pleased to join with them in providing the highest quality health care to our community members.”
Transitional teams will work over the coming months to align operational systems in anticipation of a January 2017 effective date. Both organizations anticipate no immediate operational service changes at the hospital.
“We have much work to do over the coming months and many decisions to make about how to bring our teams together, including how to best align operations in the future to reflect functioning as a System,” says Williamson. “Some changes are already occurring, for example, cardiologists with The Heart Center of NGMC are already making plans to relocate their Barrow practice to the medical office building at BRMC, providing more seamless access to inpatient and outpatient cardiology services.”
Burrell adds that connecting deeply with the community and seeking community input and feedback is a hallmark of NGHS culture and something the system plans to continue in the Barrow community.
“Before we put pen to paper to design the new NGMC Braselton, we sought feedback from the Braselton community. It was important to us that we hear their vision for their community hospital. As a native of Barrow County myself, I know that local healthcare services are an important point of pride for this community. As a not-for-profit community health system, we are committed to being a community-focused healthcare provider, as has been our tradition since our opening as Hall County Hospital in 1951.”
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ABOUT NORTHEAST GEORGIA HEALTH SYSTEM
Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) is a non-profit on a mission of improving the health of our community in all we do. Our team cares for more than 800,000 people across the region through two hospital campuses and a variety of outpatient locations. Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) has two campuses – NGMC Gainesville and NGMC Braselton – with a total of 657 beds and a medical staff of 600 physicians representing more than 50 specialties.
NGMC is rated Georgia’s #1 Hospital for the third consecutive year and among the top 10 in the nation according to a 2016 study by CareChex, an independent healthcare quality rating service. Learn more at www.nghs.com.
ABOUT BARROW REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
Barrow Regional Medical Center has been serving Northeast Georgia since 1951. In addition to the hospital, our medical campus includes a medical office building, Women’s Pavilion, and specialty services. Our medical staff includes more than 100 physicians representing multiple medical specialties. The facility is recognized by The Joint Commission, American College of Radiology and the College of American Pathologists. Since December 2009, the Georgia Hospital Association has recognized BRMC as one of only 12 hospitals in the state for the Chairman’s Honor Roll, the highest category in quality. In November 2015, BRMC was recognized by The Joint Commission as a High Performer on Key Quality Measures and only on of 103 hospitals nationally recognized for quality of care received five years consecutively.