HRMC’s new CEO Mike Poore told reporters that he foresees the hospital moving toward a merger or affiliation with another entity.

“I think some type of affiliation is likely,” Poore said at a press conference last week. “With the pressures that we’re facing today in healthcare, the economies of scale and strength that you can get from hospitals coming together are important and give you advantages to take on those challenges.”

Poore has built a career on overseeing large hospital systems — a fact that could have weighed in the hospital search committee’s selection of him for the top position. His last job was as CEO of the five-hospital Wellstar Healthcare System — the largest in the Atlanta area.

“I have experience in different types of systems — in how they work and the advantages of them,” he said.

Poore shared an example of why he believes an affiliation can be beneficial.

“Most hospitals in the next 10-15 years will be electronic medical record, and that’s a very expensive endeavor,” he said. “At my last facility with five hospitals, that ran (nearly) $20 million. When you combine the strength of many hospitals, you can do that more centrally, so that’s one of the benefits.”

Poore is in good company in touting the benefits of affiliation. The Future Directions Committee — comprised of four board members, four doctors and a county commissioner — hospital board, and physicians have all been unanimous in their support of one.

“I would like to say very simply anybody who does not think we need to affiliate in some manner is living in a complete dream world,” Dr. Richard Lang, a radiologist and member of the Future Directions Committee, said frankly at a July board meeting.

Also in July, it was revealed that four entities — Mission Hospital, Carolinas HealthCare System, Novant and Adventist Health System — had been invited to make formal pitches to the Future Directions Committee. Little new information regarding a merger or affiliation has emerged since then.

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