By John Reid Blackwell, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.
Jul. 17–Bon Secours Health System Inc. is bringing all of its Virginia operations under one umbrella.
The not-for-profit hospital operator said it is combining its two local divisions in Virginia — Bon Secours RichBREAKING NEWS 7/16/08 6:58 AM on inRich.commond and Bon Secours Hampton Roads — into a single unit called Bon Secours Virginia.
The combination is aimed at helping Bon Secours standardize services such as computerized record-keeping at its Virginia operations, but it is not expected to result in major employment changes. The divisions already share some functions, such as billing.
“Nationally, there is a trend toward integrated health systems, and this is largely a response to that trend,” said Michael Spine, Bon Secours’ senior vice president of business development. “As we work with our doctors, we find more and more that we are able to standardize our services, so we can offer consistency across our facilities.
“We anticipate growth in the next few years,” Spine said. “I would say it will have a net positive impact on employment.”
The merger does mean some management changes. Peter J. Bernard, senior vice president and chief executive officer of Bon Secours Richmond, keeps the local CEO job and adds that of chief executive of Bon Secours Virginia.
Michael Kerner, executive vice president and administrator at St. Mary’s Hospital in Henrico County, will become CEO of Bon Secours Hampton Roads, effective Aug. 4. He will report to Bernard. Bon Secours said it expects to fill the position at St. Mary’s by Sept. 1.
Another major hospital owner in Virginia, HCA, recently announced that it was consolidating operations in the state into one division. The nation’s largest for-profit hospital operator combined its Capital and Richmond divisions, which includes six Richmond-area hospitals and numerous outpatient centers, as well as hospitals in Northern Virginia and Southwest Virginia and in New Hampshire, Kentucky and Indiana.
About 6,600 people work at Bon Secours Richmond-area operations, which encompass four hospitals: St. Mary’s Hospital, Memorial Regional Medical Center in Hanover County, Richmond Community Hospital in Richmond, and St. Francis Medical Center in Chesterfield County. The division also includes Bon Secours HealthSource, which is made up of more than 20 facilities, including physician practices, home-care services and assisted-living facilities.
Bon Secours Hampton Roads, with about 4,100 employees, consists of DePaul Medical Center in Norfolk, Maryview Medical Center in Portsmouth and Mary Immaculate Hospital in Newport News.
Richard A. Hanson, chief executive officer of Bon Secours Hampton Roads, has been named senior vice president of performance management at Bon Secours Health System, which also has hospitals in Maryland, Kentucky, South Carolina and New York. Contact John Reid Blackwell at (804) 775-8123 or [email protected].
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