Vanderbilt Health expands reach across state with Chattanooga deal
Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Erlanger Health System inked a pair of agreements that bring the Chattanooga health system into a statewide network and give the two academic medical institutions a new framework to collaborate on projects
Under one agreement, Erlanger will join the Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network, the physician-led network established and driven by VUMC to connect the state's disparate health systems.
Now with Erlanger, VHAN reaches across much of the state, linking most of the major metropolitan areas — with the exception of Knoxville — under an "integrated clinical network," with the aim to recast how Tennesseans engage with health care providers.
The other agreement gives VUMC and Erlanger a platform to establish a "strategic alliance" to improve care and look at patient outcomes.
Kevin Spiegel, president and CEO of Erlanger, said the agreements are an "amazing alignment" that he thinks will ultimately improve the health of Tennesseans.
"We really do believe connectivity to all the patients and all the providers in the region is strategically important for us," Spiegel said in an interview with The Tennessean.
The duo will work on collaborations around pediatric care, said Dr. C. Wright Pinson, CEO of Vanderbilt Health System, who expects some integration around trauma care. Erlanger, which has three helicopters in East Tennessee and two in Georgia, is a regional trauma destination that has not historically overlapped with VUMC.
"We will undoubtedly be working on providing more continuity of care in chronic disease and prevention," Pinson said.
Erlanger's reach into East Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina expands VHAN into a region where it lacked a presence but intended to expand. Prior to Erlanger joining, the network had 51 hospital affiliates in five states under 11 health systems.
VHAN leaders told The Tennessean in May they want to help the Southeast tackle and improve the health outcomes that plague the region.
The network relies on increased connectivity between electronic medical systems and sharing of best practices between providers to make sure patients can move within the health care system for seamless care. VHAN launched in 2012 with four health systems along the Interstate 65 corridor around Nashville. It's since spread across the state and to some bordering states.
"I think Vanderbilt has a jump on the nation because it's already bringing all of West Tennessee, Middle Tennessee and now East Tennessee in one network so we can meet and talk in a structured way about 'how do we improve population health in our state,' " Spiegel said.
Spiegel said the health system had been talking with VHAN leaders for about a year and that physicians and the board are excited about being part of the statewide network.
"We're thrilled to be extending this geography and we're thrilled to have such a great partner," Pinson said, calling Erlanger a "first-class provider."
The partnerships do not impact the health systems' ownerships or independence. Erlanger is affiliated with the University of Tennessee College of Medicine and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga School of Nursing.
Vanderbilt Medical leads push for statewide health care network
Spiegel said Chattanooga is a "hotbed" for medical innovation and that the agreements will help boost the care the system provides to patients "to the next level."
Reach Holly Fletcher at 615-259-8287 and on Twitter @hollyfletcher.