Ascension and HOPCo Announce Partnership

Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast and Healthcare Outcomes Performance Company (HOPCo) have entered into an agreement to create a healthcare platform for musculoskeletal (MSK) care across north Florida.

Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast, part of Ascension, operates nine hospitals and more than 100 other sites of care. Ascension is a non-profit, Catholic health system.

HOPCo is a physician-operated healthcare management company. HOPCo is also partnered with Southeast Orthopedic Specialists, a team of Jacksonville, Florida-based orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists.

The agreement includes the development of ambulatory surgery centers and the first orthopedic specialty hospital in northeast Florida. The hospital will be located at the Ascension St. Vincent’s southside campus.

President and CEO of Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast Tom VanOsdol is excited about the partnership and serving the northeast Florida community. VanOsdol told OTW, “We’re excited to begin this new partnership and look forward to working together to transform the level of care in our community, including the creation of Northeast Florida’s first musculoskeletal specialty hospital.”

VanOsdol continued, “This ‘hospital within a hospital’, on the campus of Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside in Jacksonville, will allow us to provide the compassionate, personalized care for which we are known in a state-of-the-art, uniquely designed and dedicated, highly efficient healing environment, which will ultimately result in a one-of-a-kind experience and better outcomes for those we are blessed to serve.”

Donnie Romine, CEO of Southeast Orthopedics Specialists and president of HOPCo Florida, also believes that the partnership will allow the organizations to better serve the northeast Florida community. Romine informed OTW, “The northeast Florida population continues to expand and therefore so does the need for high quality orthopedic care.”

Romine continued, “By partnering with a top-tier hospital system like Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast, it allows us to be able to serve these growing populations in a way that is both convenient and cost-effective.”

Executive Vice President of Health Systems for HOPCo DeLyle Manwaring spoke to the hospital’s specialization. Manwaring explained to OTW, “The creation of the first of its kind specialty hospital will ensure that surgical care is delivered in the right setting for the right patient. This specialty hospital brings a model, proven in other parts of the country, with dedicated nurses, therapists, and all other staff, 100% focused on only orthopedic care.”

Manwaring continued, “This not only creates a better experience for the patient, but also increases the quality of care as well.”

The three organizations plan to partner with other physicians in the community. The partnerships will allow the organizations to create an effective network that ensures “the best care for patients.”

Manwaring told OTW, “All community providers are welcome to participate at this facility. The more that come, the more specialized this facility becomes for the patients of northeast Florida.”