Geisinger Health System

The Geisinger Health System (GHS) is a physician-led health care system of northeastern and central Pennsylvania with headquarters located in Danville, Pennsylvania.

History of Geisinger

Danville resident Abigail Geisinger, widow of iron magnate George Geisinger, used her fortune to build a hospital intended to be a regional medical center modeled on the Mayo Clinic. Founded in 1915, Geisinger Health System provides more than 2.6 million people in 44 counties in Pennsylvania a complete continuum of health care. The Geisinger Health System enjoys national recognition as a model for high quality integrated health service delivery, has been listed in Best Hospitals in America, and its physicians have been listed in The Best Doctors in America. Its primary care facility is the Geisinger Medical Center (GMC) located in Danville, with three other hospitals; Geisinger Wyoming Valley (GWV) and Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre - both located in Wilkes-Barre, and Geisinger-Community Medical Center (GCMC) located in Scranton. There are numerous Geisinger clinics throughout northeastern and western Pennsylvania, located in Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Mountaintop, Nanticoke, Wyoming, Scranton, Dallas, Plains, Kingston, and other surrounding cities and towns. Geisinger Health Plan, a subsidiary HMO, was started in 1985.

Leadership

The most recent chief executive officer of Geisinger Health System was Glenn J. Steele, Jr., MD, Ph.D., who arrived at Geisinger in March 2001. During his time at Geisinger, he took many initiatives to secure the foundation of the hospital, as well as expand the health system. In 2011, Dr. Steele unveiled his 2011–15 Vision for Geisinger Health System, which included the strategic priorities of Quality and Innovation, Market Leadership and The Geisinger Family.

David T. Feinberg, MD, MBA, became the newest chief executive officer of Geisinger Health System on May 1, 2015. Dr. Feinberg comes from UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center in Los Angeles, California with extensive experience in healthcare leadership and patient-centered care.

Penn State - Geisinger Merger

A milestone in the history of Geisinger Health System includes a failed merger with Penn State/Hershey Medical Center from July 1997 to November 1999. The merger of the two large health care organizations and subsequent failure has provided a valuable reference for other systems with similar plans. The ultimate collapse of the merger has been attributed to the leadership's failure to recognize challenges of cultural differences between the institutions and community acceptance. e.g. Academic physicians at the Hershey Medical Center were resistant to the delegation of practice management to which the Geisinger physicians had become accustomed.[1]

ProvenCare

In February 2006, Geisinger launched a new program with the intent of changing how healthcare is provided and paid for in the United States. Called ProvenCare by Geisinger, the program features three key elements: a strict reliance on evidence-based standards in medicine, a fixed-price financial mechanism to pay for certain procedures (such as open heart surgery), and patient engagement/activation.[2] Geisinger says the program is an attempt to give patients the most consistent, comprehensive and effective care possible. ProvenCare has been written about in such publications as New England Journal of Medicine,[3] New York Times,[4] and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Research Focus

Geisinger opened its $21 million Geisinger Center for Health Research on its Danville campus in the spring of 2007. The three-floor, 63,000-square-foot (5,900 m2) facility has achieved a LEED Certification for its environmentally friendly design. Researchers conduct health services, epidemiologic and population genetics research to address problems such as obesity, autism, stroke, diabetes, and hypertension. These projects complement the basic science research at the Sigfried and Janet Weis Center for Research, and the Center for Clinical Studies also on Geisinger’s Danville campus. The current director of Geisinger's Center for Clinical Studies is Peter B. Berger.

List of Geisinger facilities

Location of Hospitals

On December 4, 2012 it was announced that Geisinger Health System and Lewistown Hospital had signed a non-binding letter of intent for a merger. About the letter, Geisinger's Frank Trembulak said the non-binding refers to the specifics of how the merger will work and that there is a binding agreement to merge.[5] The merger of Geisinger and Lewistown has not been without conflict. Many in Lewistown Hospital's coverage area, especially independent physicians, have strongly opposed a merger with Geisinger. The most prevalent argument is that with the presence of a Geisinger clinic in Lewistown and with Geisinger offering health insurance a monopoly will result from the merger ultimately hurting instead of helping local healthcare.[6][7][8] The full merger and integration of Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital into Geisinger Health System received final approval from the Pennsylvania Attorney General and the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the new Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital became effective on November 1, 2013.

On September 9, 2013 it was broadcast that Geisinger Health System and Holy Spirit Health System of Camp Hill, PA had signed a non-binding letter of intent to explore affiliation options. Geisinger's Chief Executive Officer, Glenn D. Steele, MD, Ph.D. stated: “Healthcare continues to evolve not only in southcentral Pennsylvania, but throughout the United States, and we are always open to exploring ways to improve care and best serve the community, forward thinking organizations such as Holy Spirit and Geisinger proactively work toward enhancing care, and that is what we are now considering together.”

Location of clinics in Pennsylvania: Altoona, Sayre, Bellefonte, State College, DuBois, Lock Haven, McElhattan, Berwick, Bloomsburg, Catawissa, Millville, Mifflin, Moosic, Dunmore, Dallas, Hazleton, Kingston, Mountaintop, Pittston, Wyoming, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Plains, Montoursville, Lewistown, Mountainhome, Mount Pocono, East Stroudsburg, Danville, Kulpmont, Milton, Sunbury, Coal Township, Frackville, Mahanoy City, Orwigsburg, Pottsville, Valley View, Selinsgrove, Lewisburg, Meshoppen, Nicholson, Tunkhannock.

Financials

In 2008, Geisinger's total operating revenue for its inpatient hospitals was $943 million, and its total operating expenses were $910 million.[9] The average total margin for the Wilkes-Barre campus from 2005-2008 was -21.88%.[9] In July, 2009, the Wilkes-Barre campus was changed to an urgent care and ambulatory surgery center.

Medicare contributed to approximately 32.7% of the hospital net patient revenue, while Medical Assistance contributed to approximately 6.6% of the hospital net patient revenue. Approximately 1.5% of inpatient care was uncompensated care.[9]

In 2010, Geisinger ended the fiscal year with an operating income of $127.4 million (after interest expense). Revenue grew 10.7% from the prior year and Geisinger provided $274.5 million of community benefits including care provided under government programs at less than cost and other uncompensated care.

See also

Notes

Coordinates: 40°58′05″N 76°36′15″W / 40.96816°N 76.60423°W / 40.96816; -76.60423

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