Dear Friends:

I am pleased to share that the Appalachian Regional Healthcare System (ARHS) Board of Trustees has signed a comprehensive, long-term Management Services Agreement with UNC Health, one of the country’s most recognized and trusted health systems.

This decision reflects our Board’s vision to broaden and deepen our primary care base, ensuring accessibility, especially for more vulnerable populations as well as sustaining and enhancing the level of services we currently provide today. Our vision for our relationship with UNC Health is to provide robust specialty care and lead transformational change in primary care to improve lives in the High Country. UNC Health not only shares this vision, but they do so with vigor and passion in their quest to improve the health of all they serve in North Carolina.

We are excited about the ways our patients and communities will benefit through this relationship, including:

  • Deploying a fully integrated Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. With the Epic MyChart patient portal, patients will be able to take a more active role in their care. With MyChart, patients can view their test results, schedule appointments, view paperless statements and pay bills online, update medications and allergies, connect to home devices, refill prescriptions, message securely with providers, manage the care of family members such as children and elderly parents, receive tools to help manage chronic conditions and more. It also allows for communication with other facilities, pharmacies and providers around the country to expand access for our year-round residents.
  • Expanding specialty and subspecialty services such as advanced cancer care and heart and vascular services.
  • Accessing the resources of UNC Health for purchasing and contracting.
  • Benefiting from industry best practices to enhance patient care and quality, and drive consistent, successful outcomes.
  • Obtaining resources to support talent and recruitment efforts and provide additional opportunities for professional growth and advancement for employees and providers.

It is important to remember that since this is not an acquisition, ARHS will retain our not-for-profit status, our assets and services, and our local board and leadership team will continue to lead the organization.

Thank you for your support as we partner with UNC Health to make healthcare even stronger for the High Country. We hope you are as excited as we are about what the future holds. To learn more, visit our website www.apprhs.org/announcement.

Sincerely,


Chuck Mantooth
President & CEO