Providence Health & Services - Providence Health And Services

Providence Health & Services is a not-for-profit Catholic health care system operating multiple hospitals across 5 states, with headquarters in Renton, Washington. The health system includes 27 hospitals, more than 35 non-acute facilities and numerous other health, supportive housing and educational services in the states of Alaska, Washington, Montana, Oregon and California. Providence Health & Services was started by the Sisters of Providence (Montreal, Quebec) more than 155 years ago.

History

Providence Health System was established by the Sisters of Providence (Montreal, Quebec), a community of Roman Catholic sisters founded in Montreal, Quebec by Mother Émilie Gamelin in 1843. In 1856, Mother Joseph and four sisters came to Vancouver, Washington (then Washington Territory) to serve the native people and settlers. The five pioneer sisters crisscrossed the Northwest and established schools, hospitals, orphanages and other institutions of care. In 1858, they founded St. Joseph Hospital, the Pacific Northwest's first permanent hospital (now PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center). In 1859, the Sisters incorporated their work, creating the network of health care services known as Providence Health & Services. The sisters later established several schools and hospitals in Washington, Montana, Oregon, Alaska, British Columbia, and California.

Providence Health System was managed by the Sisters of Providence until 1979, when the first person outside the church was made president of the system because of the declining numbers within the religious community.

Providence Health & Services is the largest health care system in Washington state and one of the largest employers in the state. Providence Health System is one of the oldest corporations in the state. It is headquartered in Renton, Washington.

Affiliation with Swedish Health Services and Pacific Medical Centers

In 2012, Providence acquired Swedish Health Services in Seattle, Washington. Publicly the merger has been communicated as an affiliation developed out of a mutual desire to more efficiently expand services to patients in Snohomish and King counties. Interestingly, these two institutions were known to be fiercely competitive adversaries making the affiliation surprising to most residents in the respective communities. Swedish Medical Center was in serious financial difficulty following an aggressive expansion strategy started on the eve of the 2008 financial crisis and major cuts made to Medicare reimbursements in 2009. Providence had similar struggles but was able to lean on the massive cash reserves held by Providence Health & Services.

Dr. Rod Hochman, CEO of Swedish Medical Center was hired by Providence Health & Services when Providence affiliated with Swedish in 2012. Effective April 2013, Dr. Hochman became the president and CEO of Providence.

In 2014, Providence entered a similar "secular affiliation" with Pacific Medical Centers (PacMed). PacMed joined Swedish as part of Providence's Western HealthConnect division.

Community Benefit

In 2011, Providence provided more than $651 million in community benefit, including nearly $204 million in free and discounted care for those who could not afford to pay for care.

Sponsorship

In 2014, Providence signed a sponsorship deal with the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer giving them the naming rights to the Timbers' stadium, now known as Providence Park. Providence has not disclosed the amount of the fee paid.

Hospitals

Alaska

• Providence Alaska Medical Center
• Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center
• Providence Seward Medical and Care Center
• Providence Valdez Medical Center

California

• Providence Holy Cross Medical Center
• Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center San Pedro
• Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance
• Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center
• Providence Tarzana Medical Center
• Providence Medical Institute
• Providence Saint John's Health Center

Montana

• St. Joseph Medical Center
• St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center

Oregon

• Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital
• Providence Medford Medical Center
• Providence Milwaukie Hospital
• Providence Newberg Medical Center
• Providence Portland Medical Center
• Providence Seaside Hospital
• Providence St. Vincent Medical Center
• Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center

Washington

• Providence Centralia Hospital
• Providence Holy Family Hospital
• Providence Mount Carmel Hospital
• Providence Regional Medical Center Everett
• Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital
• Providence St. Joseph's Hospital
• Providence St. Mary Medical Center
• Providence St. Peter Hospital

Providence Medical Group

Providence Medical Group operates more than 250 clinics in neighborhoods throughout Alaska, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Providence Medical Group is part of Providence Health & Services.

Providence Medical Group employs more than 1,600 physicians offering expertise in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, dermatology and other specialties. Since officially becoming part of Providence Health & Services, Providence Medical Group has undergone rapid expansion as the hospitals attempt to increase control of physician referral patterns. This is especially true in specialties involved in performing highly reimbursed procedures such as Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery, Neurosurgery, and Orthopedics. For nearly 150 years the hospital medical staff was composed of independent community physicians, but this has shifted as the majority of the medical staff and nearly all of the staff leadership is employed directly by Providence. This reflects an increasing trend seen around the country as hospitals jockey for market share in an environment with rapidly changing and uncertain centralized reimbursement models.

Other types of services

Providence Health & Services' provides outpatient services, transitional care, home and hospice care, substance abuse programs, mental health treatment, prevention and wellness programs, long-term care, assisted living and housing. Providence Health Plan provides or administers health coverage to more than 375,000 members nationwide.

References

External links

• Providence Health & Services (official website)
• Providence Archives (official archives)