The group charged with evaluating proposals from health systems interested in being a part of New Hanover Regional Medical Center’s future operating model is not meeting now because of the coronavirus situation.
 
But that doesn’t mean that the process won’t still be on track for this year, Partnership Advisory Group co-chair Barb Biehner said Monday.
 
“We have our proposals, and we’re now reviewing what’s in them. We have the time to spend a great deal of time reviewing them. And I think we have the opportunity to move it forward in the coming months,” Biehner said. “We’re only in March at this point, so my expectation would be that we could continue to move it forward. It's just right now, just like everybody else, I don’t know what the next steps are going to be taken at the national level, let alone the county level or even within my own household.”
 
That uncertainty because of trying to prevent the coronavirus's spread prompted the Partnership Advisory Group to cancel its meeting last week on March 19. That was the meeting right after a request for proposals deadline that brought in six pitches for potential involvement in NHRMC’s ownership or management.

The six organizations that submitted proposals were Atrium Health, Bon Secours Mercy Health, Duke Health, HCA Healthcare, Novant Health and UNC Health.

Last summer, county and NHRMC officials announced that they would be soliciting proposals from outside health care systems for potential acquisition, partnership, management or other deals. While waiting for the request for proposals to come in, they also discussed changes for keeping the county-owned hospital operating independently.
 
Now the Partnership Advisory Group (PAG), which was expected to give its recommendations to county commissioners and hospital trustees this summer on how to proceed, has paused its upcoming in-person meetings, just as most events and group gatherings have in recent weeks because of the highly contagious virus.
 
The group, made up 21 members selected from hospital trustees and the community, also includes five NHRMC medical staff, and holding off on meetings allows them and county staffers who have been working on the hospital issue to focus on COVID-19 preparations and response, officials said Friday.
 
Biehner said PAG members have been assigned to subcommittees to wade through the proposals with an eye on the goals that were identified earlier for it. While their meetings for now are on hold, Biehner said that she expected in the next few weeks they would start talking in their small groups about how they plan to develop their recommendations.
 
“At this point we’re focused on the people doing the jobs they need to do, especially those that are in a position that need to be available for other priorities, and we’ll get back together as we can,” she said. “So at this time, it’s too early to tell.”
 
Initially the plan was to have the six proposals’ details – or as much as allowed legally – to be made publicly available by the end of this month, followed by a public hearing in mid-April.

Biehner said the six organizations that submitted included both their preferred model for being involved with NHRMC as well as other options they would be willing to consider.

County and hospital officials said that public release of the proposals “will be delayed at least two weeks to allow members of the Partnership Advisory Group time to review the responses and ask clarifying questions before the proposals are posted for the public,” according to a news release.

Biehner said a date for a public hearing, something that’s required under state law for this process, has not yet been figured out, nor have the details about how one would be able to take place while groups are not being encouraged to gather because of the virus. She added that they also were looking at how to hold remote meetings once the PAG resumes its meeting schedule and ways to continue sharing those with the public.

The process's timing this year carries a political consideration since two of the five New Hanover County commissioners who have been supportive of exploring deals with outside systems – Pat Kusek and Woody White – are not running for office again. Three seats are open for the board in November. If a deal is negotiated in the months ahead with an outside system, an approving vote would have to take place this year in order for the current board to vote on it.