Renown to partner with Stanford Health for specialized care

Access to highly specialized healthcare is becoming a little easier to find in northern Nevada.

Renown Health president and CEO Dr. Anthony Slonim announced a new partnership between Renown and Stanford Medicine during a press conference at the hospital June 28.

The partnership with Renown embraces Stanford Health Care, Stanford Children’s Health, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, and Stanford University School of Medicine.

“These entities comprise a partnership that will change the complexion of health and health care in northern Nevada,” Slonim said.

The partnership will allow Stanford medical professionals to consult directly with northern Nevada patients via telemedicine, more direct coordination with local practitioners to improve treatment and easy access to a patient’s medical history.

“It expands our ability to bring more resources,” Slonim said.

From childhood cancer to transplants to adult heart care, the coordinated care will provide a “seamless transition from one level of care to the next.”

Kim Roberts, chief strategy officer and chief administration officer of physician practices for Stanford Children’s Health, represented Stanford at the announcement.

“We’re very excited about this relationship,” Roberts said. “We believe in partnering with communities, to come along side is the term I use, and to really add value where we can.”

While major procedures such as transplants would still require a trip to Stanford, pre- and post care as well as ongoing treatment would easily be handled through Renown, allowing patients to be close to their support network of family and friends.

Slonim said the partnership is an example of “thinking differently” about health care and the “pioneering spirit of Nevada that I’ve come to know and love.”

Creating the partnership has been an 18-month process that began with looking at what medical needs forced northern Nevadans to leave the region for specialized healthcare and which medical centers could fill those needs.

Renown sent requests for proposals to six medical centers and three responded, said Kirk Gillis, vice president of Accountable Care for Renown Health and the person who headed the search.

“Any one of these (three) would have been excellent,” Gillis said. “Stanford is the one we felt would be the best partner for us.”

“We chose Stanford as our partner because, when you’re getting into relationships, values matter,” Slonim said. “And it’s important that you have partners that share your vision and your value set. Stanford does. We also wanted to be an innovator. Stanford Health is a world wide innovator in terms of the programming that they offer.

“And most importantly about the relationship, Stanford met us where we are. … There are things that we need and things that we do pretty well. Stanford is willing to meet us for our challenges, and the benefits we offer them.”

Renown and Stanford teams began meeting last week to work out operational details in the partnership.