Geisinger Health System

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Geisinger Health System
Geography
LocationDanville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Organisation
Care systemHealth system
PatronGeisinger Foundation
Links
Websitewww.geisinger.org

Geisinger Health System (GHS) is a regional health care provider to central, south-central and northeastern Pennsylvania. Headquartered in Danville, Pennsylvania, Geisinger services over 3 million patients in 45 counties.[1][2]

On March 31, 2024, Risant Health completed its acquisition of Geisinger Health System.[3]

History[edit]

Geisinger is named after Abigail Geisinger, widow of iron magnate George Geisinger.

Its flagship facility is the Geisinger Medical Center (GMC) located in Danville, with nine other hospitals: Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, Geisinger Wyoming Valley (GWV) and Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre - both located in Wilkes-Barre, Geisinger-Community Medical Center (GCMC) located in Scranton, Geisinger Jersey Shore Hospital (GJSH) located in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, Geisinger Lewistown Hospital (GLH), in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, Geisinger Muncy Medical Center (GMCM), in Muncy Pennsylvania, Geisinger Shamokin Community Hospital (GSACH) in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, and Geisinger St. Lukes in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania. Geisinger has clinics throughout northeastern and western Pennsylvania, located in Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Mountaintop, Nanticoke, Wyoming, Scranton, Dallas, Plains, Kingston, State College, and other surrounding cities and towns.[citation needed]

Geisinger Health Plan, a subsidiary health management organization (HMO), was started in 1985.[citation needed]

On December 4, 2012, it was announced that Geisinger Health System and Lewistown Hospital had signed a non-binding letter of intent for a merger. Geisinger's Frank Trembulak said the non-binding letter refers to the specifics of how the merger will work and that there is a "binding agreement to merge".[4]

Independent physicians have opposed a merger with Geisinger, stating that with the presence of a Geisinger clinic in Lewistown and with Geisinger offering health insurance, a monopoly might result from the merger, ultimately hurting instead of helping local healthcare.[5][6][7] The full merger and integration of Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital into Geisinger Health System received final approval from the Pennsylvania Attorney General and the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the new Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital became effective on November 1, 2013.[citation needed]

From 2001 through mid 2015, Glenn Steele served as Geisinger's president and chief executive officer.[8] Steele left Geisinger in 2015, with David Feinberg joining as president and CEO.[9] In December 2018, Jaewon Ryu was named interim president and CEO. Prior to the announcement, he previously served as the health system's executive vice president and chief medical officer since 2016.[10]

On April 26, 2023, Kaiser Permanente announced it would acquire Geisinger. As part of the deal, Geisinger would operate as an independent subsidiary, folded into a new non-profit group called Risant Health;[11][12] the transaction was completed on March 31, 2024.

About[edit]

Geisinger Health System serves over half a million patients across multiple states in the Northeastern United States.[13] Geisinger's primary geographical area of coverage is central and northeastern Pennsylvania.[14] As of September 2021, it operates 11 hospitals as well as a number of smaller clinical care facilities and pharmacies.[15] The Geisinger Clinic is one of the largest doctors groups in the United States, employing 5,164 medical professionals at 289 locations.[16][17]

The organization offers internal health insurance plans to the public within its coverage area.[18] Geisinger also conducts medical research and operates both Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine[19] and the Geisinger-Lewistown School of Nursing.[20] The organization also has a charitable arm, the Geisinger Foundation.[21]

Programs and practices[edit]

In 2015, Geisinger launched a patient satisfaction program called ProvenExperience, which offers refunds of co-pays or deductibles to patients unhappy with their medical treatment or other aspects of care.[13] In 2017, it started the Fresh Food Farmacy, a program that provides free healthy foods and nutrition advice to low-income patients with diabetes.[22][23] In 2018, Geisinger introduced a program that drives patients unable to arrange their own transportation to medical appointments or pharmacies.[24]

Geisinger incorporates electronic health records (EHRs) and genomics into its healthcare practices. Geisinger first adopted EHRs in 1996.[25] By 2002, it was using Tel-a-Nurse, a service that allowed patients to call and receive medical advice from nurses informed by EHRS.[26] In 2007, Geisinger opened a genetic biobank and screening program called MyCode, which sequences the genetic code of volunteer patients to screen them for risk markers of diseases.[27] As of 2018, MyCode had obtained genetic information from over 200,000 patient volunteers.[27] This bank of genetic material has also been used for medical research purposes.[28]

Research[edit]

In 1967, Geisinger was awarded a federal grant to study the effectiveness of medications to prevent heart attacks or their recurrence.[29] In 1974, the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation awarded a grant to Geisinger to study the potential treatment of Raynaud syndrome with drugs normally used to treat high blood pressure at that time.[30]

Geisinger has a database of electronic health records (EHR), and set up a genetics research program called MyCode in 2007.[28] The use of EHR allows longitudinal study of patient outcomes through a study called "DiscovEHR".[31][32][33] The program uses gene sequencing by the biotechnology company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.[34] The National Institutes of Health awarded a grant of US$5.5 million to the research program in 2016.[34] The program was expanded to include whole exome sequencing in 2018.[27] Using the patient volunteers' genetic data stored in its MyCode program, Geisinger has conducted or collaborated on genetic research studies aimed at identifying potential links between genetic variants and risk factors for certain diseases.[28] Geisinger contributed data from 35,000 of its patients to a 2016 Johns Hopkins University study that demonstrated linkages between asthma and fracking.[35] In 2021, a Regeneron-led study partially based on genetic data from the MyCode biobank identified a genetic variant that appears to lower obesity risk.[36][37][38]

Education[edit]

On January 1, 2017, Geisinger acquired the Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton, Pennsylvania.[19] Opened in 2008, the school had struggled financially prior to its acquisition. Geisinger agreed to assume the school's nearly $40 million debt as part of the acquisition.[39] Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine received a $3.4 million grant from the federal government in 2017 to promote diversity and provide opportunities for disadvantaged communities.[40] In order to "fix the primary care shortage facing the organization", Geisinger announced a program in 2019 to cover full tuition plus a $2,000 monthly stipend for 40 students committing to work at Geisinger for at least four years after completing a residency.[41]

Facilities[edit]

Geisinger Hospital in Bloomsburg

As of August 2021, there are 11 major facilities operated by Geisinger Health System:[15]

Financials[edit]

Financial figures for inpatient hospitals in the Geisinger system in 2017
Hospital Net patient revenue (NPR) (thousands) Total operating expenses (thousands) Operating margin Total margin Uncompensated care Medicare share of NPR Medical Assistance share of NPR Total operating revenue (thousands) Operating income (thousands) Net income (thousands)
Geisinger Bloomsburg $42,601 $48,017 -8.80% -7.92% 2.44% 31.03% 15.01% $44,134 ($3,884) ($3,525)
Geisinger Community $257,547 $265,595 0.22% 1.50% 1.42% 39.68% 10.57% $266,184 $589 $4,046
Geisinger Danville $1,116,420 $1,046,275 10.50% 12.06% 1.04% 34.04% 10.41% $1,169,017 $122,742 $143,515
Geisinger Lewistown $121,054 $106,284 13.64% 14.60% 2.26% 41.82% 9.58% $123,064 $16,780 $18,175
Geisinger Wyoming Valley $517,784 $465,484 10.79% 12.35% 1.32% 35.19% 10.45% $521,781 $56,297 $65,567
Source:[42]

For comparison, in 2017 the Pennsylvania average operating margin and total margin were 5.15% and 6.62% respectively.[42] The Pennsylvania average uncompensated care percent of NPR was 1.74%.[42] The Pennsylvania average portion of NPR paid by Medicare and Medical Assistance was 34% and 14% respectively.[42] The average payment per inpatient day for Medicare and Medical Assistance was $2,249 and $2,286 respectively, while other commercial payers paid an average of $4,843 per inpatient day.[42]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hurdle, John (December 7, 2009). "Inside a U.S. healthcare "island of excellence"". Reuters. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  2. ^ Drobnyk, Josh (September 11, 2009). "Why rural Pa. hospital wins praise from Obama. Geisinger strives to make services reliable for every patient,despite how expensive it really is,a vice president says". The Morning Call. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  3. ^ "Risant Health completes acquisition of Geisinger". The Express. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  4. ^ "AG Approves Hospital Merger". Lewistownsentinel.com. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  5. ^ "Opposition Group Discusses Concerns". Lewistownsentinel.com. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  6. ^ "Weighs in on Possible Local Hospital Merger". Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  7. ^ "News, Sports, Jobs - The Sentinel". Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  8. ^ Landen, Rachel (July 18, 2014). "Steele to step down as Geisinger CEO next year". Modern Healthcare. Modern Healthcare. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  9. ^ Robeznieks, Andis (February 23, 2015). "UCLA's Feinberg named Geisinger CEO". Modern Healthcare. Modern Healthcare. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  10. ^ Vaidya, Anuja (November 9, 2018). "Geisinger taps CMO as interim CEO: 6 things to know". Becker's Hospital Review. ASC Communications. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  11. ^ Abelson, Reed (April 26, 2023). "Kaiser Permanente to Acquire Geisinger". The New York Times.
  12. ^ "Kaiser Permanente and Geisinger come together to launch Risant Health". www.geisinger.org. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  13. ^ a b Sun, Lena H. (April 15, 2016). "The most unexpected hospital billing development ever: Refunds". Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  14. ^ Rubinkam, Michael (February 24, 2021). "Health network allowed employees' kin to skip vaccine line". Associated Press. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  15. ^ a b "Geisinger.org Find a Location Page". Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  16. ^ "Largest Doctors Groups in the United States". Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  17. ^ "GEISINGER CLINIC Reviews, Ratings, and Physician Informationm". Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  18. ^ Andrews, Michelle (November 10, 2015). "Some Hospital Systems Want To Care For You And Sell You Insurance". NPR. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  19. ^ a b O'Connell, Jon (December 31, 2016). "Geisinger/medical school deal final". The Scranton Times-Tribune. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  20. ^ Peachey, Meredith (April 26, 2019). "Understanding cultural health practices crucial in medicine". Lewistown Sentinel. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  21. ^ "Geisinger Foundation Dedicates New Center". The Morning Call (Allentown, PA). September 23, 1987.
  22. ^ Aubrey, Allison (May 8, 2017). "Fresh Food By Prescription: This Health Care Firm Is Trimming Costs — And Waistlines". Time. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  23. ^ Park, Alice (February 21, 2019). "Why Food Could Be the Best Medicine of All". Time. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  24. ^ Krize, Nikki (March 22, 2018). "Geisinger Unveils New Transportation Program". WNEP. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  25. ^ Erskine, Alistair R.; Karunakaran, Bipun; Slotkin, Jonathan R.; Thomas, David A. (December 15, 2016). "How Geisinger Health System Uses Big Data to Save Lives". Harvard Business Review. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  26. ^ Raghupathi, Wullianallur; Tan, Joseph (December 1, 2002). "Strategic IT applications in health care". Communications of the ACM. 45 (12): 56–61. doi:10.1145/585597.585602. S2CID 15722439. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  27. ^ a b c Andrews, Michelle (May 22, 2018). "Routine DNA Screening Moves Into Primary Care". NPR. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  28. ^ a b c Pollack, Andrew (January 13, 2014). "Aiming to Push Genomics Forward in New Study". The New York Times. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  29. ^ "Geisinger Gets Federal Grant". The Scranton Times-Tribune. July 17, 1967. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  30. ^ "Geisinger receives foundation grant". The Daily Item (Sunbury, PA). February 15, 1967. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  31. ^ Pandi, Maria-Theodora; Williams, Marc S.; van der Spek, Peter; Koromina, Maria; Patrinos, George P. (May 18, 2020). "Exome-Wide Analysis of the DiscovEHR Cohort Reveals Novel Candidate Pharmacogenomic Variants for Clinical Pharmacogenomics". Genes. 11 (5): 561. doi:10.3390/genes11050561. PMC 7290308. PMID 32443490.
  32. ^ Dewey, Frederick E.; Murray, Michael F.; Overton, John D. (December 23, 2016). "Distribution and clinical impact of functional variants in 50,726 whole-exome sequences from the DiscovEHR study". Science. 354 (6319): aaf6814. doi:10.1126/science.aaf6814. PMID 28008009. S2CID 10045803.
  33. ^ Abul-Husn, Noura S.; Cheng, Xiping (March 22, 2018). "A Protein-Truncating HSD17B13 Variant and Protection from Chronic Liver Disease". New England Journal of Medicine. 378 (12): 1096–1106. doi:10.1056/nejmoa1712191. PMC 6668033. PMID 29562163.
  34. ^ a b O'Connell, Jon (October 13, 2016). "Geisinger receives $5.5M grant". Citizens' Voice (Wilkes-Barre, PA). Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  35. ^ Cohn, Meredith (August 5, 2016). "Fracking linked to asthma attacks in Hopkins study". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  36. ^ Sholtis, Brett (July 28, 2021). "Study links genetic variant to lower obesity risk". WITF (PBS affiliate). Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  37. ^ "Scientists find genetic mutation associated with obesity". The Daily Item. July 8, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  38. ^ Schaffer, Regina (July 27, 2021). "Rare genetic variant may protect against obesity, provide new drug target". Healio. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  39. ^ O'Connell, Jon (December 31, 2016). "Geisinger acquisition opens doors for TCMC research, financial stability". The Scranton Times-Tribune. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  40. ^ O'Connell, Jon (November 28, 2017). "Medical school gets $3.4 million federal grant to target disadvantaged communities". The Scranton Times-Tribune. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  41. ^ Ramsey, Lydia. "A health system hidden in the heart of Pennsylvania is offering free tuition to its medical students to fix one of the biggest problems in healthcare". Business Insider. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  42. ^ a b c d e "Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council Financial Analysis 2017". Phc4.org. Retrieved August 22, 2018.

External links[edit]

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