Rural Ohio hospitals form partnership

More than two dozen rural Ohio hospitals are banding together to strengthen care and lower costs for some of Ohio's most healthcare-deprived populations (Source: “Rural Ohio hospitals band together to maintain independence, improve service,” Columbus Dispatch, April 17).
 
The 26 hospitals launched the Ohio High Value Network on April 17 to better care for roughly 2.5 million patients in 37 of Ohio's 88 counties. The clinically integrated network aims to lower costs for patients, determine best practices for the unique needs of rural populations and share resources like supplies or care specialists between network members all while maintaining local control of health care.
 
The partnership comes at a time when nationally, hundreds of rural hospitals have closed or been bought by larger, usually urban-based hospital systems. Members of the network include Adena Health System in Chillicothe, Memorial Health System in Marietta,
Blanchard Valley Health System in Findlay, Genesis HealthCare in Zanesville, Magruder Hospital in Port Clinton and other small independent hospitals serving primarily rural areas at every corner of the state.
 
Rural Ohio communities are often older, sicker and poorer than their urban counterparts, especially in Appalachia or rural communities of color, according to an HPIO data snapshot titled “Health in Rural and Appalachian Ohio,” that was released last year.