Lafayette General Health and Iberia Medical Center have announced a collaborative agreement that strengthens an affiliation the two health-care providers made last summer.
In August of last year the pair signed a clinical affiliation that let IMC become part of the growing LGH network of providers. The collaborative agreement announced Tuesday “strengthens the ties between the entities, but does not change the ownership nor governance of IMC.”
According to a press release issued Tuesday:
“The additional support and resources that LGH can offer above our clinical affiliation makes this the right move for IMC,” stated David Groner, IMC Chairman of the Board of Commissioners. “In less than one year we’ve seen what type of collaborator Lafayette General can be.”
Under the agreement, authority and control of IMC will not change. All IMC employees, including Parker Templeton, FACHE, IMC President & CEO, will remain employees of Iberia Medical Center. Patients of IMC will continue to receive high quality medical services in New Iberia, and only be transferred to other facilities when clinically appropriate.
David L. Callecod, FACHE, President of Lafayette General Health, offered: “This Collaborative Agreement approach has proven to work. We can offer additional technology, purchasing power and access to our patient experience blueprint.” LGH signed a similar Collaborative Agreement with Opelousas General Health System on January 1, 2015, helping the hospital achieve greater success.
“We can help IMC by providing planning and operational expertise for their North Campus,” Callecod added. LGH recently acquired Regional Medical Center of Acadiana and transitioned the facility into a second campus of Lafayette General Medical Center (LGMC).
IMC will utilize LGH resources to enhance their Journey to Excellence program, a nationally renowned approach to patient-centered care that aims to enhance the patient experience. LGH will offer clinical pathways that can provide residents of Iberia Parish time and lifesaving access to LGMC’s trauma program for severe injuries needing the resources of a larger facility. This will allow IMC to treat more patients locally and rely on LGMC for critical expertise.