1. How could a larger health care partner help Albemarle Hospital?
2. Isn’t Albemarle Hospital already affiliated with Vidant Health?
3. Who is on the joint committee exploring these options?
4. What is the process for exploring alternative partners?
5. How is the Joint Committee ensuring that the RFP review and decision process is fair and unbiased?
6. What criteria will the joint committee be looking for in submitted proposals?
7. When will a decision be made?
8. Will there be a name change?
9. What will happen if a suitable partner is not identified?
10. Is there a way for Albemarle Hospital to remain independent?
11. How will a partnership benefit the community, including Albemarle Hospital physicians and employees?
12. Will employees’ years of service be honored, and will they get to keep their accumulated leave (AL) time?

1. How could a larger health care partner help Albemarle Hospital?
Health care reform is requiring hospitals to create a new model for delivering care. This model requires the provision of high quality health care at the lowest possible cost. It also emphasizes coordination of care between providers and facilities and an increased investment in primary care and disease prevention. Larger health systems, with more resources and greater negotiating leverage, are often better positioned to meet these requirements and challenges. Over 80 percent of hospitals in North Carolina have already partnered with other health systems in some way.
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2. Isn’t Albemarle Hospital already affiliated with Vidant Health?
Albemarle Hospital is currently in a management agreement with Vidant Health (formerly University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina). In conjunction with this management agreement, Albemarle Hospital has seen significant strides in quality, as evidenced by its 100 percent best care score for heart attacks, zero cases of ventilator assisted pneumonia in more than three years and zero medication errors of harm last year. A management arrangement, though, is a more limited form of affiliation. Other forms of affiliation, such as a long-term operating lease, can allow for greater integration and collaboration, as well as a greater investment of resources in Albemarle Hospital.
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3. Who is on the joint committee exploring these options?
A jointly appointed committee comprised of equal representation from the Pasquotank County Board of Commissioners and the Albemarle Hospital Authority Board of Commissioners will lead this process and develop recommendations based on data review and input from all stakeholders. Representatives from the County include Jeff Dixon, Lloyd Griffin and Cecil Perry. Representatives from the Hospital include David Carter, M.D., Bettie Parker and David Twiddy. All representatives of the joint committee are committed to a thorough, thoughtful and transparent process, and will make recommendations based on improving the health of patients and the health of our community. The committee is responsible for reporting and making recommendations to the County Board of Commissioners and the Authority Board of Commissioners, and these Boards will make the ultimate decision regarding the future approach for Albemarle Hospital.
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4. What is the process for exploring alternative partners?
We have embarked on a non-binding request for proposal (RFP) process to solicit options for affiliation or partnership with other health systems as part of our responsibility to protect the health of this community. Once proposals are received, the joint committee will seek input from community members, hospital employees and physicians and make recommendations on how to proceed. The full Pasquotank County Board of Commissioners and Albemarle Hospital Authority Board of Commissioners will make a final decision.
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5. How is the Joint Committee ensuring that the RFP review and decision process is fair and unbiased?
The Joint Committee is committed to transparency and avoiding any potential of conflict-of-interest throughout the review process. The committee is made up of equal representation from the county and the hospital boards. Legal counsel is received by R. Michael Cox, Pasquotank County Attorney, and Joe Kahn, an attorney representing the Albemarle Hospital Board. A financial audit of the hospital was conducted by the independent accounting firm, Dixon Hughes. No employee of Vidant Health, which currently manages the hospital and is eligible to respond to the RFP, is a member of the committee or included in committee meetings. Jan King Robinson, who serves as Albemarle Hospital’s liaison to the committee is an employee of Albemarle Health.
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6. What criteria will the joint committee be looking for in submitted proposals?
Currently, the joint committee feels a successful proposal should come from an entity that will committ to:

• Developing Albemarle Hospital into a regional referral health care center* capable of meeting the health needs of the service area
• Enhancing and growing hospital services
• Retaining the existing community physician network and expanding it
• Maintaining a robust employee staff with a high level of satisfaction
• Continuation of the annual lease payment to Pasquotank County and financial support of the County’s Emergency Medical Service (EMS)
• A plan for addressing capital investments in facilities, equipment, and information technologies
• Integrating Albemarle Hospital into other area affiliations to promote coordination of care focused on population health
• Ensuring the ongoing relationships and support of Albemarle Hospital’s stakeholders, including local health departments and other public agencies as well at the Albemarle Hospital Foundation

The committee also understands that for a proposal to be successful it should be from an entity that demonstrates a commitment to and compatibility with Albemarle Hospital’s mission and is a good cultural fit with staff, physicians and community. Click here to view or download the full version of the RFP.

*A “regional referral health care center” is generally considered to be a hospital that provides comprehensive coverage, including 24/7 coverage for primary services such as emergency care, general surgery and obstetrics, as well as a number of other specialties, sub-specialties, and tertiary services, that are often provided only at larger facilities. A regional referral center routinely has patients referred to it by smaller community hospitals in the surrounding area that do not have the specialized services their patients need. The goal for Albemarle Hospital would be to expand the capabilities of existing services and develop new services so that fewer people would have to travel outside the region for their comprehensive care.
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7. When will a decision be made?
Because of its complexity, the request for proposal (RFP) process is not one that happens quickly. The RFP was released October 22, and respondents have until 5:00 p.m. December 6, 2012, to submit their proposals. The joint committee and both Boards will consider each proposal carefully, seek the community’s input through a second public hearing, and be sure all due diligence and investigative questions have been resolved before making a final decision.
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8. Will there be a name change?
It is too early in the process to determine specific details, such as a name change.
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9. What will happen if a suitable partner is not identified?
If the joint committee is unable to identify a suitable partner following the RFP process, Albemarle Hospital will look for creative solutions to meet the market demands and explore other opportunities to ensure access to high quality, affordable care for the community.
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10. Is there a way for Albemarle Hospital to remain independent?
All options, including Albemarle Hospital remaining independent, are under consideration at this time. However, being part of a larger health system could give Albemarle Health the resources to meet quality and financial requirements driven by health care reform. It could also help attract and retain high quality physicians, nurses, therapists and other medical professionals needed to better serve the health needs of the community.
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11. How will a partnership benefit the community, including Albemarle Hospital physicians and employees?
A larger health system could contribute to the long-term health of our community – physically, financially and economically. Through its management agreement with Vidant Health, Albemarle Health made significant strides in quality outcomes, including having the highest rating for the “Best Possible Hospital” in Hampton Roads according to the scores reported by the 2010 Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. A closer affiliation with larger health systems could help Albemarle Hospital continue to expand quality outcomes and patient satisfaction.

Physicians and employees could also benefit by having access to new technologies and sharing resources and best practices that favorably impact quality and patient care. In addition, a larger system could invest even more resources into the community, creating economic benefits that could impact all segments of the community.
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12. Will employees’ years of service be honored, and will they get to keep their accumulated leave (AL) time?
It is our understanding that all three RFP respondents being considered will honor Albemarle Health employees’ years of service in respect to employee benefits, and that employees will retain their existing accumulated leave (AL). These items will be further clarified as negotiations progress.
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