New Collaboration Aims to Lower Preventable Hospital Readmissions

MURFREESBORO, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- National HealthCare Corporation (NHC) (NYSE MKT: NHC)(NYSE MKT: NHC.PRA) and TriStar Health announce an alliance that aims to provide patients across Middle Tennessee with a continually higher level of care as they transition from hospitals to recovery.

Our new alliance with National HealthCare Corporation affirms our commitment to providing patients with the highest quality of care possible, said Dr. Doug Ardoin, chief medical officer at TriStar Health. We are excited about the possibility of better accommodating our patients once they leave our facilities to ensure their conditions continue to improve.

TriStar Health and NHC believe that enhancing the quality of care provided to patients and facilitating the transition of patients between care settings will reduce the number of discharged patients who are readmitted to hospitals, especially those readmitted within 30 days of discharge. The organizations will work together to devise new practices and protocols not only to streamline the discharge process but also to help post-acute facilities, like skilled nursing facilities and home healthcare workers more effectively manage and treat conditions. Both organizations will develop integrated intervention strategies that will span the transition of patients care from acute to post-acute care and vice versa.

NHC is very excited about creating this quality alliance with TriStar Health. It affords the opportunity for one of the regions leading healthcare providers to work more closely with the leading skilled nursing provider in the state to promote high quality, seamless care for our patients, states Dr. Steve Flatt, President of NHC.

NHC employees will educate TriStar staff on post-acute care eligibility requirements while TriStar will educate NHC caregivers on hospital discharge procedures. Both organizations will also work on identifying new ways to enhance post-acute care for patients. Clinical and quality measurements will be developed to assess the alliances success, and patient choice will be honored in all cases.

NHC affiliates operate for themselves and third parties 75 long-term health care centers in ten states, 17 assisted living communities in six states, and 37 home health agencies in four states. NHC affiliates provide skilled nursing services in the state of Tennessee with 3,593 licensed beds. For more information on NHC affiliates and their services, visit www.nhccare.com.

TriStar Health is the regions largest, most comprehensive healthcare provider with 18 hospitals and 10 ambulatory surgery centers in Tennessee, South Central Kentucky and Northern Georgia. As a system, TriStar hospitals are supported by approximately 5,300 physicians and nearly 13,000 employees. TriStar Health facilities feature state-of-the-art technology and pioneer new medical procedures every day to accommodate the needs of the more than 110,000 patient admissions and nearly 515,000 Emergency Department visits annually. For more information about TriStar Health, or for a physician referral, call TriStar MedLine at 615-342-1919 or toll-free outside of Nashville at 1-800-242-5662 or visit TriStarHealth.com.

NHC
Gerald Coggin, 615-890-2020
Mobile: 615-948-0498
gcoggin@nhccare.com
or
TriStar Health
Krinda Hie, 615-886-4934
Mobile: 615-319-5715
Krinda.Hie@hcahealthcare.com

Source: National HealthCare Corporation

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