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Ten Kentucky Healthcare Systems Form Statewide Health Care Collaborative

January 28, 2016

Baptist Health partners to reverse Kentucky's poor health statistics.

Commonwealth of Kentucky (Jan. 28, 2016) – Today, 10 health care systems across the Commonwealth of Kentucky, collectively known as the Kentucky Health Collaborative, announced its primary objectives of raising the standards of care across the state, addressing the Commonwealth’s poor health statistics and reducing the cost of care through greater operational efficiencies.

The founding health systems’ chief executive officers or appointed executives are serving on a steering committee guiding the formation and development of the collaborative.

The initial health systems which have signed on as charter members of the collaborative are:

  • Appalachian Regional Healthcare (Lexington, KY)* 
  • Baptist Health (Louisville, KY) 
  • Ephraim McDowell Health (Danville, KY) 
  • LifePoint Health (Brentwood, TN) 
  • Norton Healthcare (Louisville, KY) 
  • Owensboro Health (Owensboro, KY) 
  • St. Claire Regional Medical Center (Morehead, KY) 
  • St. Elizabeth Healthcare (Edgewood, KY) 
  • The Medical Center (Bowling Green, KY) 
  • UK HealthCare (Lexington, KY)

 *Parentheses designate location of organization’s headquarters

Kentucky Health Collaborative is still in its early stages of development, and there are many details yet to be finalized, such as which issues and opportunities for improvement the group will tackle first. As the collaborative develops the systems and infrastructure needed to accomplish its goals, the opportunity to join will extend to a wider pool of potential members across the Commonwealth.

In addition, the collaborative’s steering committee has hired William “Bill” L. Shepley as the organization’s inaugural executive director. Shepley, who has more than 25 years of experience as a healthcare executive at organizations such as the Southern Atlantic Healthcare Alliance and the Coastal Carolinas Healthcare Alliance, has devoted his career to developing and managing multi-facility alliances and networks to guide organizations through changes in the health care delivery system. 

“Being offered this opportunity to serve the Commonwealth of Kentucky was one of the proudest moments of my career,” said Shepley. “The Kentucky Health Collaborative has created a governance structure that supports the inclusion and participation of health care providers regardless of location within the Commonwealth, size or profit structure. The solutions we expect to develop through the collaborative have worked well for similar networks across the country, and I am honored to be a part of this important process.”