FOR RELEASE:
September 6, 2011
Catawba Valley Medical Center Trustees Request the Reorganization of Catawba
Valley Medical Group
HICKORY, NC –Catawba Valley Medical Center’s Board of Trustees
requests the reorganization of Catawba Valley Medical Group in order to
remove the Group from Joint Commission accreditation. The change would
allow the Group to more efficiently and effectively provide medical services
to the community. The Trustees recommend approval of the resolution authorizing
the organization of Catawba Valley Medical Group, Inc., and the transfer
of certain operations of the medical clinics to that entity. The request
will be put forward to the Catawba County Board of Commissioners at the
September 12 meeting. There are several reasons for removing the Medical
Group from Joint Commission, including:
- Increased Revenue: reorganization will allow the practices access to better
reimbursement rates and allow for full participation in the Patient-Center
Medical Home Standards program
- Increased Productivity: less required time spent on insurance reimbursements
and Joint Commission requirements will provide more productive use of
staff time
- Decreased Expenses: no accreditation cost for registering with Joint Commission,
roughly saving $13,500 for the reduction in surveyor time; immeasurable
cost savings associated with staff at the hospital in its decision-making
process regarding changes or monitoring for Joint Commission purposes;
elimination of a battery Joint Commission-required competency testing
of providers that perform these services every day with the resulting
expense and frustration for providers
- Improved Opportunities for Growth: better recruitment opportunities without
strategic disadvantage of being covered by Joint Commission
- Enhanced Quality: the National Committee for Quality Assurance and the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services define quality in the group
setting using their Patient-Centered Medical Home and Electronic Medical
Record Meaningful Usage requirements
Catawba Valley Medical Center in Hickory, N.C., is the region’s largest
not-for-profit, public healthcare system and serves the community without
direct funding from taxes. CVMC provides and promotes physical, mental,
emotional and spiritual well-being of the public in addition to serving
as a center for health education, wellness services, preventive medicine
and acute care. CVMC has received three Magnet designations from the American
Nurses Credentialing Center and has been recognized for providing “An
Outstanding Inpatient Experience” for a fourth consecutive year
by J.D. Power and Associates. For more information, please visithttp://www.catawbavalleymedical.org.