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Glens Falls Hospital Joins Adirondack Health Institute

Glens Falls Hospital has joined a regional partnership with a mission to cut healthcare costs through collaboration.

Glens Falls Hospital was recently welcomed as a new member of the Adirondack Health Institute.

AHI, formed in 2011, is a member organization including Community Providers, Inc., a related party to Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital in Plattsburgh, Adirondack Health, which operates Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake, and Hudson Headwaters Health Network.

Cathy Homkey, CEO of the Adirondack Health Institute, said that AHI helps health care providers work together to purse common goals, including applying for grant funding and regional planning.

“Adirondack Health Institute provides administrative services to these organizations, as well as other community-based organizations,” said Homkey. “We’re looking to effectively and efficiently achieve joint initiatives so that we can all achieve shared goals, which focuses on  healthcare – the ‘triple aim’ better health, lower costs, and overall care within our region.”

The AHI service area includes Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Northern Saratoga, Warren, and Washington Counties.

Glens Falls Hospital CEO Dianne Shugrue said that taking a regional approach toward grant applications to help meet goals of changing state and federal healthcare regulations is a modern model used to cut costs.

“The goal of all of this is to decrease healthcare costs, decrease hospital admissions. That is where healthcare is going,” said Shugrue. “And being a part of AHI, which is a leader for healthcare planning in the Adirondacks is a great thing for Glens Falls hospital.”

In December, the New York State Department of Health announced the formation of the North Country Health Systems Redesign Commission to make determinations on ways of effectively delivering healthcare services in the region.

Homkey said the commission is taking a look at the model developed by AIH.

“To determine if it’s scalable and can be implemented on a broader regional basis, as well as some of the New York State initiatives including the State Health Innovation plan, they are looking to again make the good work that we’ve done in this region – to make it scalable and and applicable to New York’s initiative to again achieve the ‘triple aim’.”

Dianne Shugrue said it “only makes sense” that Glens Falls Hospital – the largest hospital in the Adirondack region – should be a part of an organization that is focused on evolutions in healthcare.

Lucas Willard is a reporter and host at WAMC Northeast Public Radio, which he joined in 2011.
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