Ohio High Value Network
Adena Health joins statewide collaboration to strengthen rural care
Twenty-six rural hospitals, including Adena Health, have come together to launch the Ohio High Value Network (OHVN), a collaboration focused on clinical quality and business initiatives to strengthen health care in rural communities covering 37 of Ohio’s 88 counties.
The clinically integrated network, announced today, cares for more than 2.5 million patients across more than 115 cities and towns. With 25 Ohio-based hospitals and multiple care sites participating, the OHVN is poised to transform how Ohio rural health care systems work together by establishing operational collaborations designed to share best practices among its members, advancing quality, and lowering the cost of care. The network also includes one hospital in West Virginia.
Adena Health President and CEO Jeff Graham, a founding board member of the OHVN, noted that the collaboration expands on a successful foundation, as many OHVN members are already partnering in one of several regional hospital collaborations in Ohio.
“We already know that working together not only provides benefits for our hospitals, but also for our patients, our employees, and our communities,” said Graham. “It’s been a goal of mine for more than seven years to form this level of collaboration among our independent hospital systems. With the size and scope of the Ohio High Value Network, we can collaborate on even more impactful areas to enhance our ability to deliver advanced, high-quality care and do so efficiently.”
Graham’s vision reflects a broader commitment shared by OHVN members to unite independent systems and strengthen care for rural Ohioans.
“We believe that strong collaboration is the best way to sustain high-quality care in our communities,” said Myron Lewis, OHVN board chair, and president and CEO of Blanchard Valley Health System in Findlay. “The more we work together, the better we can serve our communities—continuously improving quality, lowering costs, and further strengthening rural health care.”
Underscoring the network’s strong southern Ohio regional foundation, Holzer Health System in Gallipolis, Memorial Health System in Marietta, Southern Ohio Medical Center in Portsmouth, and Adams County Regional Medical Center in Seaman are among the OHVN members collaborating with Adena. The network is also in discussions with other rural hospitals in Ohio interested in joining as members and expects to grow.
The active daily management of the network will be led by principals from Cibolo Health, a national leader in helping independent rural hospitals create clinically integrated networks with their peers to overcome the obstacles rural health care providers face. Cibolo Health’s leadership team includes Nathan H. White, president, and A. Clinton MacKinney, MD, chief medical officer.
The Ohio High Value Network is the third rural hospital network organized and operated by Cibolo Health. The first, the Rough Rider High-Value Network in North Dakota, launched in 2023, and the second, Headwaters High-Value Network in Minnesota, started in 2024.
The clinically integrated network will drive the OHVN’s quality enhancement initiatives and care coordination efforts and reduce administrative burdens for providers. The OHVN will also launch a Clinical Integration Committee to oversee the network’s clinical and quality initiatives. The committee will include one clinical representative from each member health system.
“The Clinical Integration Committee provides a forum for clinicians to learn from each other, share best practices that improve patient outcomes, and collaborate on ways to ease burdens on medical providers,” Dr. MacKinney said. “These efforts will strengthen high-quality, advanced care in our member hospitals and invigorate the communities our members serve.”
To learn more about the Ohio High Value Network and how it is transforming rural health care in Ohio, visit Ohiohvn.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Ohio High Value Network?
Twenty-six rural hospitals are launching the Ohio High Value Network to collaborate on clinical and business initiatives to strengthen health care in rural communities across the state. Adena Health is a founding member of this growing network.
The network’s foundation is a clinically integrated network (CIN) caring for a population of more than 2.5 million patients. The CIN features 25 Ohio-based hospitals and other care sites in more than 115 cities and towns covering 37 of Ohio’s 88 counties; the network also includes one hospital in West Virginia. The CIN will drive OHVN’s quality enhancement initiatives and care coordination efforts while reducing administrative burdens for providers.
Who are the founding members of the Ohio High Value Network?
| Member organization | Hospital locations* |
|---|---|
| Adams County Regional Medical Center | Seaman |
| Adena Health | Chillicothe, Greenfield, Waverly, Washington Court House |
| Blanchard Valley Health System | Findlay, Bluffton |
| Firelands Regional Medical Center | Sandusky, Toledo |
| Fisher-Titus Medical Center | Norwalk |
| Fulton County Health Center | Wauseon |
| Genesis Healthcare System | Zanesville |
| Holzer Health System | Gallipolis, Jackson |
| Henry County Hospital | Napoleon |
| Knox Community Hospital (Ovation) | Mount Vernon |
| Magruder Hospital | Port Clinton |
| Memorial Health System | Marietta |
| Pomerene Hospital | Millersburg |
| Salem Regional Medical Center | Salem |
| Southern Ohio Medical Center | Portsmouth |
| Wood County Hospital | Bowling Green |
| Wooster Community Hospital | Wooster |
*Some communities listed here are home to more than one hospital
Is Adena Health being sold to a big health system?
No. Adena Health, like every member of OHVN, remains an independent health system that can focus on the needs of the local communities we serve.
We don’t have to look far to see the benefits of bringing together independent organizations. The best example bringing together independent organizations might be the farming community. For years, many local farmers have joined farmer cooperatives which foster collaboration and help bring operational and cost efficiencies while allowing the farms to operate independently.
Why is Adena Health joining the OHVN?
Many of the toughest challenges in health care have pushed hospitals and physician groups to combine into larger health systems, because economies of size and scale are crucial to building the capabilities needed to meet these challenges.
That said, patients in our community are best served by preserving our health system’s dedicated focus on serving the needs of patients and providers in our community. The OHVN helps our members gain the benefits of size and scale without giving up the ability to tailor decisions to the needs of their local communities.
Is Adena Health joining the OHVN because it’s in financial trouble?
No. Our health system has recorded increasingly strong financial performance over the past several years, even as we face a difficult operating environment. Joining the OHVN will allow us to take advantage of joint purchasing that saves money, as well as exchange operational best practices with other rural health systems across the state.
Does joining the OHVN have any impact on staffing at Adena Health?
No. This collaboration does not impact employment or staffing in any way.
How will decisions about health care in our community be made after joining the OHVN?
Exactly the same way that they are now: our board and health system leaders will continue to make those decisions. We are joining the OHVN to accomplish greater efficiencies and benefits for our patients that will be possible with a network of rural health care systems. Making decisions about health care in our community is not one of those things.
What does joining OHVN mean for local patients?
By working together with other independent rural hospitals, we will pool our clinical and business know-how to ensure continued access to high-quality care that strengthens our community. These efforts will improve care coordination, support medical practitioners and promote more efficient operations.
As the collaboration deepens among members, the network will be a strong partner with payers on value-based insurance products that improve quality, reduce cost, and enhance patient and provider experience.
What are some specific benefits patients will see from our hospital joining this network?
Sustaining high-quality care in our community for the long term is great news for patients. Here are some specific benefits that patients will see from our hospital’s membership in the Ohio High Value Network:
- Clinical initiatives through the OHVN will enable members to benchmark their performance and find areas to further enhance clinical quality.
- The data platform members will participate in enables better care coordination for patients who need treatment at multiple locations.
- Reducing administrative burdens on clinicians leaves them more time to focus on patients, and over time, can help reduce burnout. That helps us retain excellent physicians and other providers in our community.
- The members can work together with payers on value-based arrangements that an individual member may not be able to do on its own. Patients benefit when insurers and hospitals develop these win-win relationships.
- The members will bolster their ability to control costs for equipment and contracted services by negotiating as a group, and controlling these costs helps maintain affordability for patients.
How are medical practitioners, nurses, and employees of Adena Health affected by joining the OHVN?
The OHVN will promote greater stability and success for its members through its clinical and business initiatives. When our hospitals and clinics thrive, our medical practioners, nurses, and employees benefit, too. For medical practitioners, the OHVN Clinical Integration Committee will be a supportive peer community. Business and operational leaders will have a similar peer group.
Will you still accept my health insurance?
Yes, joining the OHVN has no immediate impact on our contracts with health insurers. As the collaboration deepens among members, the network will be a strong partner with insurers on value-based insurance products that improve quality, reduce cost, and enhance patient and provider experience.
Where can I learn more about the Ohio High Value Network?
To learn more about the Ohio High Value Network and how it is transforming rural health care in Ohio, visit Ohiohvn.org.