Westview Hospital board approves new affiliation with Community Health Network

Westview Medical Campus’ affiliation with Community Health Network will expand osteopathic medicine options as well as future access points for west side communities

Indianapolis, IN---In a major shift of the Indianapolis healthcare landscape, Westview Medical Campus this week announced it is now formally affiliated with Community Health Network, one of Central Indiana’s largest healthcare organizations. The affiliation agreement received final board approval on Friday. This affiliation, which includes Westview’s hospital, physician network and sports club, will allow both providers to expand overall access to healthcare services for residents of West Central Indiana.

Under the affiliation agreement, Westview will be a separately incorporated non-profit corporation, with Community Health Network as its parent organization. Westview will maintain its local governance and staff, while benefiting from growth of clinical services, increased access to capital, collaborative payer negotiations, and enhanced pipelines for physician and employee recruitment.

“In collaboration with Community Health Network, we will determine what strengths and opportunities Westview should maximize, what areas should be enhanced, and what actions will be taken to continue to improve quality care and provide the highest level of health and wellness services for our patients, physicians, employees and our community,” said Jon P. Anderson, president and CEO of Westview. “Community’s commitment to our osteopathic philosophy of care is what will ensure that our mission not only lives, but grows to meet the challenges of healthcare, now and in the future.”

For Community, affiliation with Westview gives the network a hospital presence for the first time on Indianapolis’ west side, where Community aims to strengthen Westview’s ability to expand. Plans call for growing existing inpatient and outpatient care services, both on Westview’s Guion Road campus and in surrounding communities. Additional outpatient facilities in the western Indianapolis metropolitan area will enhance access to a coordinated network of quality primary and specialty care services for area residents.

“Community Health Network is excited to partner with Westview and its physician network to provide convenient access to care and help families on the west side stay healthy,” said Bryan Mills, president and CEO of Community. “Our goal is to make each organization stronger, while concurrently enhancing the seamless delivery of services to all patients.”

Mills went on to say that Community also values and respects the rich osteopathic heritage and mission of Westview. He acknowledged several similarities that create a good fit for the two organizations, including the deep-rooted commitment to the communities served, the focus on enhancing patients’ health and well-being, a shared vision for keeping local residents connected to local community hospitals that they know and trust, and a commitment to the strength and quality of a robust, patient-centric continuum of care. Community's relationship with Westview traces back to the origin of Westview Hospital, when Community assisted in the provision of Westview’s initial administrative leadership.

As part of the new affiliation, Westview will continue to play a leadership role in driving the growth and development of osteopathic medicine for the network. Community Health Network strongly supports and is actively involved in the development of the new College of Osteopathic Medicine at Marian University as the second medical school in Indiana. The network has made a $5 million contribution to support the initiative. Both Community and Westview will host medical student clinical rotations and maintain strong relationships with the new medical school, a key initiative for relieving the shortage of primary care physicians in the state.

Westview also operates Indiana’s only osteopathic postgraduate training program. The program’s primary goal is to support the osteopathic postdoctoral programs and rotating medical students. The program offers an opportunity for family practice residents to build a solid foundation for their future as doctors of osteopathic medicine (D.O.s). Westview’s osteopathic postdoctoral programs are accredited by the American Osteopathic Association.

Community Health Network’s Family Medicine Residency Program, fully accredited since the early 1970s, serves as a pipeline for new primary care physicians to care for the families served by Community, its provider partnerships and affiliates. The network will also continue to host medical students from the IU School of Medicine and is planning to expand the number and type of residency programs available.

About Community Health Network
Ranked among the nation’s most integrated healthcare systems, Community Health Network is Central Indiana’s leader in access to innovative and compassionate healthcare services, where and when patients need them—in hospitals, in convenient health pavilions and doctor’s offices, in the workplace, at schools, in the home and online. As a non-profit health system with multiple sites of care and affiliates throughout Indiana, Community’s full continuum of care integrates hundreds of physicians, acute care and specialty hospitals, surgery centers, physician offices, home care services, walk-in care centers and employer health services. To put the needs and the convenience of patients first, Community pioneers advanced treatments and world-class health information technologies, with a focus on ease of access to exceptional care.

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