Roane General CEO Doug Bentz “excited to bring more world-class specialty care closer to home”
SPENCER, W.VA. – Roane General Hospital and the West Virginia University Health System, which operates under the brand WVU Medicine, announced today (April 25) a clinical affiliation designed to expand access to specialty care in pursuit of improved patient outcomes and experiences. With this agreement, Roane General, already home to a WVU Cancer Institute clinic, will explore new services to provide patients in Roane County and the surrounding region.
“Building on our cancer care partnership with WVU Medicine, Roane General is excited to bring more world-class specialty care closer to home for our patients,” said Doug Bentz, CEO of Roane General Hospital. “Our community will benefit from greater collaboration with our state’s flagship academic medical center.”
The agreement, effective May 1, identifies pediatrics, urology, and endocrinology as a few of the areas for expanded services at Roane General Hospital.
“This clinical affiliation with Roane General Hospital will help bolster our ability to serve the people of central West Virginia and to bring the healthcare services they need to their community,” Albert L. Wright, Jr., president and CEO of the WVU Health System, said. “We are grateful to Doug and the leadership of Roane General Hospital for partnering with us to continue their legacy of serving Roane County.”
The clinical affiliation agreement will enhance physician and provider recruitment at Roane General through connections with the WVU School of Medicine, the WVU School of Nursing, and co-recruitment initiatives to attract healthcare providers.
“Working together with WVU Medicine to overcome the challenges facing the rural healthcare workforce, particularly in attracting physicians and advanced practitioners, will contribute greatly to improved patient care,” Julie Carr, chief clinical officer of Roane General Hospital, said.
A major goal of the partnership is opening the door to greater integration of patient care across physical locations.
“We’ll be able to better connect our patients who know and trust the care we provide at Roane General with more advanced tertiary services across the WVU Medicine system,” said Brent Watson, M.D., medical director of Roane General Hospital. “One example of the possibilities here is advanced pediatric care. WVU Medicine Children’s is home to nation-leading experts on rare pediatric conditions that require a lot of specialization. This agreement puts us on a path to connect our patients and their families with those physicians through telemedicine, for example.”
While the clinical affiliation agreement provides for greater collaboration and an increased focus on patient outcomes and experiences, the agreement does not affect the governance of either institution. Roane General Hospital will continue to be governed by a board of Roane County community figures under the same corporate structure with the same mission established at the hospital’s founding.
“Roane General Hospital and our team of providers are devoted to our patients,” said Bentz. “Increased collaboration with WVU Medicine is a big step, I’m proud to say, toward improving patient care, outcomes, and experiences.”
For more information on WVU Medicine, visit WVUMedicine.org.
For more information on Roane General Hospital, visit RoaneGeneralHospital.com.
For Media Inquiries:
- Doug Bentz, Roane General Hospital CEO, 304-927-6213, debentz@rghwv.org
- Angela S. Jones, WVU Health System Corporate Director of Media Relations and Public Affairs, 304-285-7259, angela.jones1@wvumedicine.org