February 18, 2010

Dear MHHS Governing Board,

As physicians who live and work in Hamblen County, we know the sale of Morristown Hamblen Healthcare System will dramatically affect the future of healthcare for our community, for our patients and their families, and for the many physicians and nurses dedicated to serving them.

Few community healthcare decisions will be as important and far-reaching as the partner you select for MHHS. At stake is nothing less than the quality of clinical care at MHHS, the availability of healthcare services at the hospital, hundreds of jobs and the long-term viability of one of our community’s economic cornerstones.

Given the importance of this decision – and its very real impact on every family in Hamblen County – we firmly believe this is not a decision to be made privately or secretly. Instead, we believe this decision must follow a rich community conversation where the opportunities and risks of every option for MHHS are fairly discussed and debated.

We are disappointed that the Board has entered into exclusive negotiations with a single bidder – Knoxville’s Covenant Health System – without a single public discussion about the candidates the Board has considered or even a public review of Covenant’s offer. This is particularly concerning given the lack of greater physician representation on the MHHS Governing Board, which limits physician experience and perspective in the decision process. 

Conversely, we have been impressed with the candor and transparency of the representatives from Community Health Systems (CHS), who have been a partner for 16 years with Lakeway Regional Hospital.
As you are aware, CHS has been forthcoming in their vision for MHHS and in the terms they have offered, which we believe are worthy of serious consideration.

How does this offer compare to that from Covenant?  We do not know, and that is our concern. 

As physicians who are committed to ensuring our patients have the highest quality healthcare available, we call on the MHHS Governing Board to:

• Publicly share and discuss in detail Covenant Health System’s offer to purchase MHHS
• Make the region’s physician community an integral part of the conversation
• Take the necessary steps to meet with CHS regarding its proposal for MHHS
• Fairly and deliberately and publicly weigh the best options for MHHS

MHHS stands at a moment of great risk, but also of great opportunity.

We urge you to include all of us in this critical community decision.
We respectfully request that hospital CEO Richard Clark and Board Chairman Carl Storms meet with the medical staff no later than Wednesday, March 3, 2010 to discuss openly the future of healthcare in our community.

Sincerely,