Executives from Sumner Regional Medical Center (SRMC) and Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) announced this week that the hospitals have finalized an affiliation agreement that will enhance access to health care services for the residents of Sumner County and the surrounding region.
The affiliation between Sumner Regional and Vanderbilt puts into place the immediate ability to form new programs to be shared between the two hospitals and provides opportunities to collaborate to create a comprehensive, integrated and clinically coordinated system that improves health care access throughout Sumner Regional’s service area.
“We are delighted to launch this affiliation with Vanderbilt University Medical Center,” said Susan Peach, chief executive officer of HighPoint Health System and SRMC.
“As we examined ways to bring additional medical services to our communities, our leadership team explored several affiliation options. Vanderbilt, which is one of our nation’s premier academic medical centers, emerged as the ideal fit for us. We look forward to working with Dr. Pinson and the clinical leaders at Vanderbilt to collaborate on a number of initiatives that will be designed to provide a higher level of health care services in our region.”
“We are pleased to formalize our long-standing relationship with Sumner Regional Medical Center,” said C. Wright Pinson, MBA, M.D., deputy vice chancellor for Health Affairs and CEO of the Vanderbilt Health System.
“This affiliation is a natural progression as our institutions have worked together for decades to provide high-quality, cost-effective health care services. With our colleagues at SRMC, we have significant opportunities to provide increased access to care and an expanded array of services for a rapidly growing region,” Pinson said.
One of the first programs to be developed as part of the affiliation is a teleneurology program, which will provide collaborative care between VUMC’s neurologists and Sumner Regional’s Emergency Departments and hospitalists who provide inpatient care.
The program will provide 24/7 coverage between the two hospitals, which will allow SRMC to offer more comprehensive neurology services. This additional service will result in a higher level of care and better outcomes for patients experiencing stroke symptoms.
Another program being developed will enable increased access to pediatric services at Sumner Regional Medical Center. The hospital, which already provides an inpatient Pediatric Care Unit and specialized pediatric emergency services in the Emergency Department, will dedicate three ED rooms designed and equipped for children to allow a more comfortable environment for emergency care. These rooms also will offer pediatric-trained emergency physicians and a specially trained staff to care for children who present to the ED from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. every day, when the majority of outpatient clinics are closed.
The affiliation agreement does not involve any ownership or management of Sumner Regional Medical Center by VUMC, but provides the structure for the medical centers to create collaborative programs and services to enhance patient care.
Sumner Regional Medical Center has provided quality health care to Sumner County and the surrounding areas for more than 50 years.
The 155-bed acute care facility provides high quality care in numerous areas, including cancer treatment, cardiac care, same-day surgery, orthopedics, diagnostics, women’s health, pediatrics and rehabilitation services.
Sumner Regional is the flagship hospital of HighPoint Health System, which serves an 11-county region and operates three hospitals in addition to Sumner Regional: Riverview Regional Medical Center in Carthage, Trousdale Medical Center in Hartsville and Livingston Regional Hospital in Livingston.
With the addition of Sumner Regional, VUMC is clinically affiliated with a growing family of hospitals and health systems encompassing Tennessee and Southwestern Virginia.
Other affiliates include Cookeville Regional Medical Center, Maury Regional Medical Center, Mountain States Health Alliance, NorthCrest Medical Center, West Tennessee Healthcare and Williamson Medical Center.
All institutions share a common mission to serve the health care needs of the citizens of Tennessee and surrounding states also served by the affiliates.
