Hospitals shift gears to compete

For the past couple of years, the boards of directors at the North Colorado Medical Center and Poudre Valley Hospital have been thinking about the same thing: How, in the face of diminishing financial returns, to continue to deliver top-quality patient care while staying competitive within their respective service areas.
Each drew a different conclusion.
In January 1995, North Colorado Medical Center aligned itself with the $762 million private, nonprofit Lutheran Health Systems. Meanwhile, Poudre Valley Hospital elected to maintain its independent status and protect its viability with new products and services.
Officials at both hospitals maintain their decisions will keep their institutions healthy as competition for health-care dollars intensifies.
“Health care is going to change whether we do anything or not,´ said Doug Vang, chief of operations for Lutheran Health Systems’ Northern Colorado alliance, the Western Plains Health Network. “Our goal is to try to stay a step ahead of the changes. We’re trying to build, change and not cut and take away services.”

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