Hospital partnering to expand services: Johnson Memorial, other central Indiana medical groups forming consortium

The county-owned hospital is teaming up with other hospitals across central Indiana with the hope of bringing in more patients and offering services at a lower cost.

Johnson Memorial Hospital, Community Health Network, St. Vincent Health in Indianapolis and five other community hospitals are forming the Accountable Care Consortium.

The hospitals will partner to find ways to more efficiently offer health care services, such as by having doctors create standard care plans for certain conditions, such as diabetes, said Larry Heydon, Johnson Memorial Hospital president and chief executive officer.

The group also will work to attract local employers to send employees to their facilities for health care services. That plan will work similar to health insurance coverage, where the employers will pay a premium to the consortium. Employees would visit the facilities and physicians included in the consortium, Heydon said. Money from premiums will go to providers for services and can also be used for incentives, he said.

The goal is to be able to offer health care services at a lower cost, Heydon said.

Joining the group is another partnership for the county-owned hospital. Johnson Memorial Hospital partnered with Community Health Network last year to build a medical office building in the Center Grove area and earlier this year with CarDon & Associates to operate two senior and assisted living facilities.

By joining with the other hospitals in the consortium, the group can share resources and reduce costs, Heydon said.

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