Having Spectrum Health Pennock as its medical director providing medical services in a win-win for Thornapple Manor residents, the hospital and the community, Executive Director Don Haney told the Hasting City Council Monday.

There were inherent problems with the former provider, located on the east side of the state, with patients being admitted to the emergency room at Pennock for treatment and then readmitted to Thornapple Manor, Haney said.

Although the premier medical provider in the state, they didn’t know the Hastings facility or its residents. If a resident was in distress or with symptoms after 5 p.m., the call would go to an on-call doctor who didn’t know the resident or have enough information to suggest treatment, so they would say, “send them to emergency, which we did,” Haney said. It became almost automatic, he said.

Four years ago, after research and reviewing independent data on readmissions, they switched to Pennock Spectrum. With Pennock doctors coming in and providing services and mid-level practioners in the building five days a week, they get to know the patients and reduce trips to the ER when it isn’t really necessary, Haney said.

“During a test period, readmissions were cut by 90.6 percent, which is substantial. This is very, very unique. To our knowledge, this is the first in the state, let alone the whole country.”

An article on the arrangement published in the national Healthcare Financial Management Association magazine has generated favorable publicity.

Both facilities benefit financially from shared patients; Pennock by providing and expanding its health services, Thornapple Manor by keeping its occupancy rate up and its residents getting treatment at the facility.

The cost of an ambulance ride to and from the hospital, emergency room care, three to five days admission costs are all cut, Haney said. "The patient stays at home, gets the same quality care as in the hospital and that’s good for the residents. It’s all centered on the residents.”