HOSPITALS ANNOUNCE COLLABORATIVE EFFORT; ~WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT A MERGER,' SAYS BOARD MEMBER

Cape Girardeau's two hospitals have vowed to work together to improve health care services.

At a joint press conference Tuesday afternoon at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce office, officials of Southeast Missouri Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center announced that the two hospital boards of directors will "explore collaborative efforts."

"We are not talking about a merger," said Charles L. Hutson, president of the Southeast Missouri Hospital Board of Trustees.

The two boards met jointly Monday night for the first time and agreed that it's important to keep two "viable" hospitals, Hutson said.

Besides Hutson, those at the press conference included Robert Hendrix, chairman of the St. Francis board; John Fidler, president of St. Francis; and Jim Wente, administrator of Southeast Missouri Hospital.

Fidler said the two hospitals want "an alliance for improved health care." He said, "We are interested in working with other hospitals around us."

Wente said the two hospitals have been working cooperatively in some areas, such as physician recruitment, for the last 18 months.

Reading from a joint statement, Hendrix said increased cooperation would benefit the region's health care consumers.

"Hospitals in this region are under increasing pressure to become more efficient because of government underfunding of programs for the elderly and the poor.

"At the same time, we continue to strive for the delivery of quality care to all those we serve. A cooperative effort between our community's two hospitals will permit the development of a stronger regional referral center that will better meet the diverse needs of the region in the future," Hendrix said.

Combined, the two hospitals have 545 beds and employ more than 2,750 people. Fidler called health care "the number one industry" in the area.

Hospital officials said the collaborative discussions are just in their infancy and no specifics have been worked out.

Wente said he expects the two boards will meet "fairly regularly" over the next several months to explore various options.

Over the years the two hospitals have been criticized by some for duplication of costly services and for being too competitive with each other.

"I think some of the people will be surprised and hopefully relieved" by the spirit of cooperation, said Wente.

In the 1980s, the focus was on competition in the health care industry, he said. But, he said, such competition doesn't keep a check on health care costs; rather "it drives prices up."

Asked if the hospitals would look at eliminating duplication of services, Hendrix said the entire health care picture would be explored.

Hutson said there is a "public perception" that the two hospitals duplicate services.

But Fidler said there's a need for both hospitals to offer quality health care. For example, the area needs both hospital emergency rooms, he said.

"There is too much made of that," Fidler said of duplication of services.

He said the problem of health care has to do with such things as access, lack of integrated services, paperwork and malpractice laws.

"The real positive of this (cooperative effort) is the recognition of common problems," said Fidler. "I think it is exciting. This is a collaborative partnership."