The new signage begins the process for Fort Hamilton to join Kettering Health after the merger was announced July 13. Part of the transition will be an increased focus on more community health and wellness, said Lynn Oswald, senior vice president of Fort Hamilton.
By next July, the hospital will switch to using electronic medical records instead of paper records and be fully integrated in Kettering Health. In the meantime, the challenge is to manage the transition while maintaining the quality of care, Oswald added.
Fort Hamilton announced its plans to consider a new health system and separate from Health Alliance, a Cincinnati-based health system, earlier this year. Kettering Health is the Dayton-area’s second largest health system by revenue. Under the merger announced last week, Fort Hamilton transfers all of its assets to Kettering.
Fort Hamilton stands to gain stability, expanded services and expanded resources from becoming a Kettering hospital, Oswald said. Net revenues were more than $100 million and bad debt was more than $8 million last year, according to Vierling.
But not only will being a Kettering hospital increase the focus on community wellness, the Kettering system adds capital fund resources, management structure and aid in physician recruitment, Oswald said.
“I think the stability that will come from being able to focus on our mission again completely and also being able to take advantage of the successes of a successful system,” she added.
Other changes to the hospital from the merger include implementing electronic medical records, an unestimated number of potential hires and personnel changes to put some administrative positions at Kettering Health’s new Austin Boulevard medical office.
In addition, each of the 19 hospital departments have to go from Health Alliance to Kettering Health technology systems and procedures, Oswald said. For example, the departments will have to switch computer systems that hold patient information, schedules and billing, Vierling said.
The first new community program is cardiovascular screenings by Fort Hamilton Cardiovascular Services on Sept. 21.
Currently, Kettering is looking to add 200 physicians mostly in the areas of psychiatry, neurology and primary care, some of which Fort Hamilton stands to gain, Oswald added.
Vierling said, “To impact revenue, you have to have more physicians referring patients to Fort Hamilton either directly or from specialists.”
Fort Hamilton has more than 1,000 employees and 150 active medical staff, according to the hospital.
Kettering Health Network now operates seven hospitals and has about 9,500 employees.
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