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Published on May 17, 2021

Ten Kentucky Health Care Systems Form State-Wide Health Care Collaborative

Regional and community health systems across the Commonwealth partner to reverse KY’s poor health statistics, share best practices and prepare for a population health model of care delivery.

William L. Shepley hired as executive director

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 health care 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.”

About Owensboro Health

Owensboro Health is a nonprofit health system with a mission to heal the sick and to improve the health of the communities it serves in Kentucky and Indiana. The system includes Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, nationally recognized for design, architecture and engineering; Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital; Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical Center; the Owensboro Health Medical Group comprised of over 350 providers at more than 30 locations; three outpatient Healthplex facilities, a certified medical fitness facility, the Healthpark; a weight management program, and the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center.

On average each year, we have more than 19,000 inpatient admissions, deliver 2,000 babies and provide the region’s only Level III NICU. Owensboro Health physicians perform nearly 33,000 surgical procedures, including nearly 150 open-heart surgeries. Our physicians and staff have 90,000 Emergency Department visits and more than 1.25 million outpatient visits annually. Visit our home page for more information.