What the Affiliation with Huntsville Hospital Means

Lawrence Medical Center recently announced an affiliation with the Huntsville Hospital Systems, and we’ve had many people ask “What does that mean for our hospital?”

To start, you’ll still see the same friendly faces around that you’ve always known. Your neighbors helping neighbors aren’t going anywhere. Our hospital will now be managed, but not owned, by Huntsville Hospital. The agreement does not directly impact the Board, staffing or benefits of staff at LMC.

You may see additional friendly faces around to serve you: we now have access to many HH employees, including oncologists who have already been to LMC to serve some of their patients here, instead of having them travel all the way to Huntsville.

That’s just one of the many benefits to our hospital and patients from this affiliation. Others include access to HH purchasing contracts, physician recruitment, HH laundry and logistics facilities (including the Mobile Medical Unit), quality initiatives and the expertise and experience of HH, which is a billion dollar system with over 10,000 employees.

Financially, LMC will be able to save money through economies of scale, a collaboration of facilities and physicians, and be better prepared for healthcare reform down the road. All of this translates into better care with more options for our patients, at a reduced-cost to the hospital. That’s what this means for our hospital.