For the Republic Monitor
Perry County Health System announced that Newpoint Healthcare Advisors, a leader in healthcare consulting, is joining the team of experts evaluating the future of healthcare in Perry County. Newpoint, and its Chairman Joe Lupica, are nationally recognized as experts in helping communities ensure that local interests remain at the forefront of strategic decisions regarding their healthcare.
Mr. Lupica and his team will conduct a community engagement process to embrace a wide range of voices on local healthcare issues. “We’re here to listen and learn from the people served by their hospital,” said Lupica. “The timing is perfect because no binding decisions have been made about any affiliation for the hospital.”
It is and has always remained the goal for Perry County Health System to ensure that patients, physicians, nurses, and the people of Perry County are able to retain local control to preserve and enhance the current services provided, keeping in mind the need to provide the best value to employers and families.
Mr. Lupica and his team will facilitate a series of community forums hosted by Perry County Health System. Dates and times for those engagement sessions with employers, healthcare employees, and the general public will be announced later this week. In addition, the team from Newpoint will be interviewing key stakeholders and other interested community members to listen and learn about what they value in their healthcare system.
The goal of the community engagement sessions is not to decide if an affiliation should be pursued with a particular partner, but rather to hear what is important for the future of healthcare in Perry County. Issues such as expanded services and a patient’s ability to choose their specialists are all common themes that Newpoint has heard in conducting similar sessions in other communities.
“We are bringing in a seasoned professional to work with the hospital leadership and governing bodies to ensure we have an expert to advise us during any potential affiliation negotiations,” said Dr. Keith Moeckel, Chair of the Perry County Health System Board of Directors. “We’ve asked Joe and his team to also help us with community engagement before any binding decisions are made.”
