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Morton County health system signs affiliation agreement with Centura [The Hutchinson News, Kan.](Hutchinson News, The (KS) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 22--ELKHART -- Morton County Health System has signed an affiliation agreement with Centura Health, owners of St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City, officials announced Wednesday. The agreement will help the Morton County operation have greater buying power and achieve more cost effective operations, said Shawna Deal, Community Relations Coordinator at St. Catherine. The affiliation is Centura Health's third in Kansas and 10th overall. Goodland Regional Medical Center and Logan County Hospital in Oakley are the other two in Kansas, with the remainder in Colorado. There are no changes in administration in the Morton system related to the agreement, said Deal, calling the agreement "more a helping hand, a collaboration of hospitals." "Through the agreement, Morton County Health System will work closely with leadership from St. Catherine Hospital to strengthen the oversight of capital expenditures, group purchasing, supplies and other areas related to revenue and expenses," according to the release. Besides more buying power, it also includes sharing "best practices" among clinical professionals, including education, development and overall talent management. "By sharing best practices across our integrated network, Centura Health and Morton County Health System elevate the level of care provided to meet the increasing need to offer convenient, integrated, high-value care when and where it is needed," the release stated. Each affiliation agreement is different, depend on the needs of the system, Deal said. "Becoming an affiliate is the first step," she said. "Now they'll do some strategic planning with the help of Centura, and kind of carry out the hospital's mission from there." "Our relationship with Centura Health has already benefitted us through a significant reduction in excess of $200,000 for the cost of pharmacy equipment and medical supplies we need to care for our patients," Joe Duerr, CEO of Morton County Health System, stated in the release. "In addition, we see great opportunities and benefits from additional resources to help implement our strategic initiatives -- from technology to physician recruitment -- which provides greater value to the community we serve," Duerr stated. "We look forward to the collaboration and a bright future focused on quality patient care." Located in Elkhart, Morton County Health is comprised of a hospital, 24-hour emergency room, clinics and long-term care facilities. Its doctors specialize in surgery, internal medicine, general medicine, radiology and psychiatry. Equipment and services include: X-Ray, CAT Scan, Nuclear Medicine, Ultrasound, Respiratory Care, Physical Therapy, and a Laboratory. ___ (c)2014 The Hutchinson News (Hutchinson, Kan.) Visit The Hutchinson News (Hutchinson, Kan.) at www.hutchnews.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |