Thursday Biz Wrap: Consumer Reports rates Kentuckiana Medical Center No. 1 for patient safety'

Quoting from the April 3rd posting by Terry Boyd:

"If you’re not feeling great, you might want to head to the Sunny Side of Louisville. Kentuckiana Medical Center in Clarksville has come out of several reviews with the top safety rating in the Kentucky market. A market where it appears the rest of the competition is having a tough time when it comes to patient safety.

KMC, managed by Wichita, Kansas-based healthcare development firm Galichia Hospital Group, is ranked as the No. 1 Hospital in the Louisville area for patient safety by Consumer Reports.

That got them a shout out from WAVE-TV’s Eric Flack, who did the original reporting. Flack stated the highest safety score in Consumer Reports for Louisville area hospital ratings 'is far from a household name. It’s the Kentuckiana Medical Center in Clarksville, Indiana.'

Only KMC received an above-average rating for avoiding medical mortality, based on how likely patients are to die within 30 days of being admitted for a heart attack, heart failure, or pneumonia."
 
Link to Insider Louisville

HFN: 'When finances fall apart: Bankruptcy may lead to salvation'

Quoting from the April 25th article by Kelsey Brimmer:

"Last summer, the 40-bed hospital filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July. But bankruptcy didn’t lead to closure for Kentuckiana [Medical Center]. It actually led to its salvation.

Shortly after a settlement agreement with the hospital’s creditors was reached in November, Galichia Hospital Group, a national healthcare development firm based in Wichita, Kan., took over the hospital. Galichia brought on a new management team led by chief executive officer Michael Phillips, but retained Kentuckiana’s 200 employees.

Galichia also added a couple more service lines and more employees, Phillips said, and it plans on launching a new emergency department and increasing the number of patient rooms, turning a desperate situation for Kentuckiana into a win.

'It was a smooth transition,' said Phillips. 'Sometimes it can be a rough transition when you are trying to identify where costs are being lost, or how to downsize in many cases.' Kentuckiana and its surrounding community were very fortunate in the way the takeover by Galichia turned out, said industry observers."

Link to Healthcare Finance News

WDRB - FOX 41/Louisville: 'Kentuckiana Medical Center receives top ranking for patient safety"

Quoting from the posting: "

A consumer report ranks Kentuckiana Medical Center as the top hospital in the Louisville area for patient safety, according to a press release. The announcement was made jointly by Galichia Hospital Group's Chairman and CEO Joseph P. Galichia and Michael Phillips, CEO of KMC.

The ranking was first released last week in a report quoting Dr. John Santa, Medical Director for Consumer Reports Consumer Health Choices."
 
Link to the WDRB website

Wichita Business Journal: 'Galichia-managed Indiana medical center earns patient safety award'

Quoting from today's posting by Josh Heck:

"Consumer Reports has awarded the Kentuckiana Medical Center top billing for patient safety in its region, according to a news release.

Kentuckiana Medical is located in Clarksville, Ind. and is managed by Wichita-based Galichia Hospital Group, a national health care development company led by cardiologist Joseph Galichia."
 
Link to WBJ Biz Talk

On The Wire: 'Kentuckiana Medical Center ranked #1 Hospital in Louisville Area for Patient Safety by Consumer Reports'

"CLARKSVILLE, Ind., March 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Kentuckiana Medical Center (KMC), managed by the national healthcare development firm Galichia Hospital Group (GHG), is ranked as the '#1 Hospital in Louisville Area for Patient Safety' by Consumer Reports. The announcement is made jointly by GHG's Chairman and CEO Joseph P. Galichia, M.D., F.A.C.C., and Michael Phillips, CEO of KMC." Link to PR Newswire 

Coverage Overview:  

WAVE-TV, Louisville's NBC Affiliate Link to the posting

WDRB, FOX 41 Louisville Link to the posting

 


Louisville Business First Link to the posting
 

Yahoo! Finance Link to the posting
 

Digital Journal Link to the posting

 




Reuters Link to the posting

 



Wall Street Select Link to the posting

Kentuckiana Medical Center ranked #1 Hospital in Louisville Area for Patient Safety by Consumer Reports

Clarksville, IN - Kentuckiana Medical Center   (KMC), managed by the national healthcare development firm Galichia Hospital Group (GHG - Wichita), is ranked as the #1 Hospital in Louisville Area for Patient Safety by Consumer Reports. The announcement is made jointly by GHG’s Chairman and CEO Joseph P. Galichia, M.D., F.A.C.C., and Michael Phillips, CEO of KMC.

The top ranking was first released March 27, 2014, by WAVE-TV’s Eric Flack, whose report says, "the highest safety score in Consumer Reports for Louisville area hospital ratings is far from a household name. It's the Kentuckiana Medical Center in Clarksville, Indiana...only Kentuckiana Medical Center received an above-average rating for avoiding medical mortality, which is based on how likely patients are to die within 30 days of being admitted for a heart attack, heart failure, or pneumonia.” 

Analysts also considered how often surgery patients with serious but treatable complications die in the hospital. Flack’s article and related video are posted at: http://www.wave3.com/story/25094278/report-ranks-kentucky-indiana-below-average. Further, the chart (pictured above) delineating the performance data is found at: http://wave.images.worldnow.com/images/3433137_G.jpg.

Phillips attributes KMC's better patient survival rate to its outstanding heart doctors: Drs. Chris Stavens, John Rumisek, Rob Dowling, and all the other clinicians that care for patients at KMC. 

"We have amazing physicians at Kentuckiana Medical Center. Drs. Stavens, Rumasek and Dowling, plus many others are constantly saving the lives of extremely sick people, some of whom were transferred to them from other local hospitals for heart care because the physicians feel being at KMC after a heart attack is the best chance a patient has for survival. Consumer Reports recent performance data has confirmed they are correct."

According to Dr. Rumasek, KMC's Chief of Surgery, "Physicians and clinical staff enjoy practicing at KMC because in this environment and culture patient care comes first. Physicians tell administration what is needed to care for patients at KMC, not the other way around."

GHG’s Dr. Galichia, said, "What is really amazing is that KMC's acuity per patient is higher then the other hospitals in the area. What this means is that heart patients at KMC have survived more often on a per patient basis then heart patients at other local hospitals even though KMC's average patient was sicker. It’s a testament to their dedication to clinical care and high safety standards.”

Dr. John Santa, Medical Director for Consumer Reports Consumer Health Choices, said in the WAVE-TV news article, “Although this data is from people 65 and older, it's a good indication of a hospital's attention to safety. And we find the chance of dying is much higher in some hospitals than others.”

Further, quoting from the Consumer Reports website: “Consumer Reports supports consumers in identifying and choosing high-quality, high-value, products and services, and optimizing their health and wellness. We advocate for public policies and marketplace changes that allow and promote fair, just, and high-value health systems. Consumer Health Choices is where you can find free Consumer Reports resources for patients and their families.” Link for more information at: http://consumerhealthchoices.org.

About Kentuckiana Medical Center 

KMC employs close to 200 people and is located just off U.S. 31 in Clarksville, IN, which is part of the greater Louisville Metropolitan area. KMC has been serving the community of Southern Indiana and Kentucky since 2009 and has since received certification from the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation program (HFAP). For more information about Kentuckiana Medical Center, visit http://www.kentuckianamedcen.com.

About Galichia Hospital Group 

Guided by Dr. Joseph Galichia, GHG’s mission is to provide integrated healthcare systems that provide the highest quality care possible.  The Group’s model is to provide efficient, cost-effective health care services that meet the needs of the community while embracing the concept that patient care comes first. This vision is based on Dr. Galichia’s experience providing medical care in many international locales and various healthcare systems. For more information, visit: http://www.galichiahospitalgroup.com.

Contact: 

Maggie Chamberlin Holben, APR, 303-984-9801 or 303-669-3558 (cell), maggie@absolutelypr.com

Link to the PR Newswire Release

Business First: 'New Kentuckiana Medical Center leader talks about priorities'

Quoting from David Mann's December 19th posting:

"Michael Phillips is settling into the role of CEO of Clarksville-based Kentuckiana Medical Center.

Phillips, co-founder of Wichita, Kan.-based Galichia Hospital Group, recently relocated to Clarksville after Galichia began managing the center for Florida-based Rialto Capital, as Business First recently reported.

In a recent interview, Phillips said administering the company’s recently opened emergency department and growing service lines would be key priorities. Getting a larger group of physicians practicing at the hospital also will be important in the coming year."

Link to Business First

Mann also covered KMC and Galichia Hospital Group's new management role on December 3rd:

"'Like KMC, our group’s Galichia Heart Hospital in Kansas also had its roots in cardiac and surgical care,' Galicha chairman and CEO Dr. Joseph P. Galicha said in a news release. 'Further, our team has had extensive hands-on experience adding an emergency department to the mix at a hospital much like KMC, and proven our ability to successfully reduce patient wait times for those needing emergency care.'

Link to the posting

Courier-Journal: Kentuckiana Medical Center opens ER, touts short wait times

Quoting from today's posting by Charlie White: "A private hospital in Southern Indiana is now guaranteeing that emergency room patients will be seen in 15 minutes or less...

...A multimillion-dollar expansion is expected to be completed early next year, including adding the final dozen of the originally planned 46 patient rooms, as well as adding telemetry-monitoring devices to some rooms and other new equipment.

Kansas-based Galichia Hospital Group, led by Dr. Joseph Galichia, is managing the hospital for Florida-based owner Rialto."

Link to the Courier-Journal