The West Hawaii Region of Kealakekua-based Hawaii Health Systems Corp. has acquired Ali‘i Health Center and folded its outpatient clinics into its care network.
The clinics now operate as Kona Health, a clinical department of Kona Community Hospital, according to a news release shared with Becker’s Oct. 5.
As a department of the hospital, Kona Health can expand into a provider-based rural health center. That status opens the door to more specialty services and hospital resources.
“Ali‘i Health Center has long been a vital source of services in our community, and bringing it directly under Kona Community Hospital marks a major step forward for healthcare in West Hawai‘i,” said Clayton McGhan, CEO of the West Hawaii Region. Mr. McGhan said the move puts the relationship under one integrated system of care. He added that it lines up the region’s workforce, services and hospital capacity with the needs of Hawaii Island residents.
Patients can keep seeing their current physicians at the same clinic locations, and accepted insurance plans stay the same. The region expects patients to get easier access to diagnostic services and smoother specialty referrals. It also expects better coordination between the clinics, outpatient services, the emergency department and the hospital.
The Kona Health clinics now have access to the regional system’s infrastructure, patient programs and hospital support teams. “Their trusted providers are now connected more closely with the full resources of Kona Community Hospital,” Mr. McGhan said.
Hawaii Health Systems Corp. runs Kona Community Hospital in Kealakekua as part of its West Hawaii Region. The region is extending its outpatient reach across the west side of Hawaii Island.
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