Focus on Affordable Care While Reducing Costs With Novant Health

October 12, 2015 –The cost of healthcare for our community is being lowered thanks to a shared services agreement between Novant Health, Winston-Salem and Carteret Health Care, the new name for Carteret General Hospital in Morehead City, North Carolina.

Carteret Health Care is leveraging the scale of Novant Health and anticipates over $1.2 million in cost reductions in the first year.

“This is just the beginning of what we anticipate to be a significant savings for our community hospital and ultimately our patients” said John Davis, Carteret Health Care Board of Directors Chair.

“As an independent, community and county owned hospital, we seek ways to improve health care for the patients we serve in eastern North Carolina,” said Dick Brvenik, president and CEO of Carteret Health Care.

“This collaboration with Novant Health will continue to help Carteret Health Care cut costs by combining efforts with a larger system that has scale and greater purchasing power. We intend to leverage this relationship with Novant Health to make our organization a leader in delivering value to the consumer while remaining a self-sufficient, locally owned health care provider.”

Carteret Health Care continuously looks for ways to realize value and to enhance the quality of services in Carteret County. Lowering expenses allows CHC to offer more affordable, quality care to patients while expanding and enhancing available services. Continued partnerships with other industry leaders such as UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center for oncology services and Wake Forest Baptist Health for telestroke have proven beneficial for patients and families.

“Novant Health is excited to work in partnership with Carteret Health Care Medical Center,” said Patrick Easterling, president of Novant Health Shared Services. “We believe our cultures, values and missions are well-aligned and that this partnership will position us both for continued success.”

“As the realities of health care reform settle in, progressive hospitals and health care organizations like Carteret Health Care are seeking new models of partnership that enable best practice sharing, while challenging historical perspectives to chart future health care delivery models.”

Brvenik concludes, “I was impressed with Novant Health’s demonstrated ability to partner with health care systems to improve the affordability of care and share operational best practices.”

“This partnership will enable us to remain independent while improving affordability, improving quality, and ensuring local access to care for our community.”

About Carteret Health Care

Carteret Health Care is an independent, 135-bed hospital serving Eastern North Carolina. Carteret Health Care leads the way to healthier lives through innovations in safety, quality, service and superior value. As a not-for-profit Medical Center, we offer a full range of acute care, diagnostic and outpatient services at a level that you would only expect at a larger facility. While providing quality health care with exceptional compassion and respect, Carteret Health Care achievements and awards include being ranked as one of the Best Hospitals by Business North Carolina. For additional information about Carteret Health Care, visit our website at www.CarteretHealth.org.

About Novant Health
Novant Health is a four-state integrated network of physician clinics, outpatient centers and hospitals that delivers a seamless and convenient healthcare experience to our communities. The Novant Health network consists of more than 1,200 physicians and 25,000 team members who make healthcare remarkable at nearly 500 locations, including 14 medical centers and hundreds of outpatient facilities and physician clinics. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Novant Health is committed to making healthcare remarkable for patients and communities, serving more than 4 million patients annually. In 2014, Novant Health provided more than $639 million in community benefit, including charity care and services. Novant Health is ranked as one of the nation’s top 20 integrated delivery networks by IMS Health. For more information, please visit our website at NovantHealth.org. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.