SALEM, Ohio – Salem Regional Medical Center announced that it will participate in the Ohio High Value Network, a group of independent rural hospitals.
The network includes 25 independent Ohio hospitals and care sites in more than 115 cities and towns across the state, as well as a hospital in West Virginia.
“[Clinically integrated networks] are a network of health care providers who work together on strengthening the availability, affordability and quality of care while preserving the independence of each participating provider,” said Dr. Anita Hackstedde, SRMC president and CEO. “Health care is transforming at a rapid pace, and hospitals must ensure that we are delivering the highest quality of care while reducing the cost of care and improving the health of our communities.”
Hackstedde said SRMC chose to join the network “because we recognize the value of collaborating to share quality data and best practices, which ultimately benefits our patients.”
The active management of the Ohio High Value Network will be led by principals from Cibolo Health, including Nathan H. White, president, and Dr. A. Clinton MacKinney, chief medical officer. Cibolo Health helps independent rural hospitals create clinically integrated networks with their peers to overcome the obstacles rural health care providers often face.
The Ohio High Value Network is the third rural hospital network in the nation organized and operated by Cibolo Health. The first, the Rough Rider High Value Network in North Dakota, launched in 2023; and the second, Headwaters High Value Network in Minnesota, started in 2024.
As part of its launch, the Ohio High Value Network will form a Clinical Integration Committee to oversee the network’s clinical and quality initiatives, with one clinical representative from each member health system.
“The Clinical Integration Committee provides a forum for clinicians to share best practices that improve patient outcomes and collaborate on ways to ease burdens on medical providers,” MacKinney said. “These efforts will strengthen high-quality, advanced care in our member hospitals and invigorate the communities our members serve.”
Many Ohio High Value Network members are already working together in one of several regional hospital collaborations in Ohio.
“We already know that working together not only provides benefits for our hospitals, but also for our patients, our staff and our communities,” said Jeff Graham, president and CEO of Adena Health, an Ohio High Value Network founding member based in Chillicothe. “With the greater size and scope of the Ohio High Value Network, we can collaborate on more impactful areas that enhance all of our abilities to deliver high-quality, high-touch care and do so efficiently.”