Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Winston-Salem, NC – Novant Health and Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center said today they have resolved the issues regarding the provision of healthcare services in western Forsyth County and in Davie County. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Certificate of Need Section, has approved an agreement that will allow both organizations to obtain certificates of need to build hospitals and provide other medical services in those areas.
As part of this agreement, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center will receive a Certificate of Need (CON) to build a hospital in Advance that would include 50 acute care beds, 10 observation beds, and an out-patient ambulatory care center. Novant Health will receive a CON to build a 50-bed hospital in Clemmons. Additionally, Wake Forest Baptist may, if it so chooses, file a new CON application to build a critical access hospital with up to 25 beds in Mocksville to replace the aging Davie County Hospital facility.
The agreement calls for a phased approach to hospital construction, with neither organization being permitted to offer inpatient beds in Clemmons or Advance sooner than seven years from the date of issuance of their respective certificate. Other hospital services – such as outpatient surgery, diagnostic imaging, emergency department services, and others – may be offered sooner.
“We are pleased with the outcome of this settlement, which allows us to move forward to meet the priority healthcare needs of the Davie, western Forsyth and southern Yadkin County region,” said Donny Lambeth, president of North Carolina Baptist Hospital. “We are grateful for the support we have received and will depend on in the future, particularly in Davie County.”
“We are delighted to have reached a mutually satisfying solution that will result in making medical, hospital and emergency care more convenient for these growing communities,” said Greg Beier, president, acute care services, Novant Health. “This agreement will lead to millions of dollars in capital investments and hundreds of new jobs coming to western Forsyth County and Davie County, which should be welcome news given the current economic conditions.”
Novant Health (www.novanthealth.org) is a not-for-profit integrated group of hospitals and physician practices, caring for patients and communities in North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina. The Novant Medical Group consists of 1,068 physicians in 344 clinic locations. Hospitals include the following: Presbyterian Hospital, Presbyterian Orthopaedic Hospital, Presbyterian Hospital Matthews and Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville in the Charlotte, NC area; Forsyth Medical Center and Medical Park Hospital in Winston-Salem, NC; Thomasville Medical Center, Thomasville, NC; Brunswick Community Hospital, Supply, NC; Rowan Regional Medical Center, Salisbury, NC; Franklin Regional Medical Center, Louisburg, NC; Upstate Carolina Medical Center, Gaffney, SC; and Prince William Hospital, Manassas, VA. Other Novant facilities and programs include nursing homes and assisted living, outpatient surgery centers, medical plazas, rehabilitation programs, community health outreach programs and the national MedQuest organization with 103 diagnostic imaging centers in 13 states. Novant Health is ranked 12th nationally among the 2009 Top 100 Integrated Healthcare Networks, according to an analysis by the SDI health informatics company.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (www.wfubmc.edu) is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Brenner Children’s Hospital, Wake Forest University Physicians, and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine and Piedmont Triad Research Park. The system comprises 1,056 acute care, rehabilitation and long-term care beds and has been ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report since 1993. Wake Forest Baptist is ranked 32nd in the nation by America’s Top Doctors for the number of its doctors considered best by their peers. The institution ranks in the top third in funding by the National Institutes of Health and fourth in the Southeast in revenues from its licensed intellectual property.
