Johnston County's hospitals are partnering with UNC Health Care to expand their reach in the eastern Triangle. Leaders with both systems say the move will keep costs down for patients as health care laws change at the state and federal levels.
Johnston Health CEO Chuck Elliot says the Affordable Care Act and North Carolina's decision to opt outof Medicaid expansion makes the partnership necessary.
“It puts even more pressures on us to help continue to find ways to reduce costs,” he says. “We can do that through a larger system, by size and discounts and things like that as far as purchasing services and also sharing services.”
Johnston Health's facilities include two hospitals in Smithfield and Clayton as well as smaller clinics. UNC says the deal allows it to provide care closer to its patients' homes. The board of directors for Johnston Health will keep a majority share of their facilities.