Patients First Community Hospital
Patients First Community Hospital, established in 2010, is a non-profit corporation whose sole purpose is build and operate a new community hospital in Washington, Mo. In conjunction with the Patients First Community Hospital Foundation, Patients First Community Hospital is dedicated to raising the level of care for everyone in the communities we serve.
See our patients and cardiologists tell their stories.
Learn more about the Patients First Community Hospital Foundation.
Thank you for visiting our site. If you would like to ask any questions, please email them to communityhospital@patientsfirsthc.com.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Additional Background:
Patients First Community Hospital Q&A
CON Committee Filing
St. Louis Business Journal Article on Hospital
Cardiology Press Announcement
St. Louis Business Journal Article on Cardiologists
Press Announcement:
Patients First Community Hospital Established
Non-Profit to Build and Operate Community Hospital in Washington
Washington, MO, April 9, 2010 – Patients First Health Care is pleased to announce the creation of Patients First Community Hospital, a new non-profit corporation, which will build and operate a new community hospital in Washington, Missouri. The new Patients First Community Hospital will be located on the existing Washington, MO, Patients First campus at the new address, 911 Patients First Drive.
On Friday, April 9th, Patients First Community Hospital filed a request with the State of Missouri Certificate of Need (CON) program that it recognize that the hospital is not subject to CON review. If all goes according to plan, the company foresees the completion of the hospital by the end of 2010.
“We are members of the community; we live here, make our homes and lives here and will always, as it says in our name, put patients first,” said Joe Gubbels, Patients First Health Care CEO. “That is why we made this monumental decision.”
Patients First Community Hospital has chosen to build the new hospital in response to market pressures, both internal and external, and to increase the overall quality and safety of care in the community.
First, many patients have directly asked physicians affiliated with Patients First to pursue an independent community hospital where patients have the right to choose the physicians they see. Second, in light of the new health reform measures, the physicians of Patients First felt it was in the best interest of their patients to further integrate care and provide patients with all their health care needs. Third, St. John’s Mercy Hospital made the decision to remove the Patients First cardiology team from the staff at their institution making patients choose between the local hospital and their trusted doctors.
The new hospital will offer important health care services to the local area, while focusing on safety, quality and efficiency. In addition, the hospital will augment the efforts of Patients First to develop a comprehensive continuum of care that meets the patient’s needs in all medical areas. The construction will be spearheaded by Paric Corporation.
“We have had a great relationship with Patients First Health Care and are really looking forward to working on this project,” said Joe McKee III, President, Paric Corporation. “We are glad that our ability to meet budget expectations will help this new hospital become a reality. Patients First Community Hospital is a noble endeavor and Paric is proud to play such a significant role in its creation.”
As part of this project, Patients First has also established a separate non-profit foundation to support the communities they serve. One of the first initiatives of the Patients First Community Hospital Foundation will be to create an indigent care clinic for individuals that fall through the cracks of the health care system.
“It is important to all of us to make sure the poorest in our communities have access to quality health care,” said Dr. Michael Rau, Chairman, Patients First Health Care. “The Patients First Community Hospital Foundation is our way of giving back to our communities.”
Headquartered in Washington, MO, Patients First Health Care is a 70-physician health care system that has 16 satellite offices, full-service Cancer and Ambulatory Surgery Centers, and offers 19 specialties, including radiation and medical oncology, cardiovascular, plastic surgery, dermatology and audiology.