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Florida Hospital officially moves into Dade City. Here's how things will change.

 
Bayfront Health Dade City, a 120-bed hospital in Pasco County, sold to Florida Hospital in December and, as of this week, will be known as Florida Hospital Dade City. [Photo courtesy of Bayfront Health]
Bayfront Health Dade City, a 120-bed hospital in Pasco County, sold to Florida Hospital in December and, as of this week, will be known as Florida Hospital Dade City. [Photo courtesy of Bayfront Health]
Published April 3, 2018

Starting today, the "Bayfront Health" moniker will no longer be attached to the Dade City hospital.

Adventist Health System, the parent company of Florida Hospital, announced in December its intentions to buy Bayfront Health Dade City hospital and its related outpatient services. The deal has since closed and the Dade City hospital is now named Florida Hospital Dade City.

Terms of the agreement between Adventist and Bayfront Health's owner, Community Health Systems, were not disclosed. Dade City became the 11th hospital in the chain to join the West Florida Division of Adventist Health System.

The Tampa Bay Times spoke with Jason Newmyer, the assistant vice president of speciality services lines at Florida Hospital Tampa, who will be overseeing the transition in Dade City. He talked about what consumers can expect from the new ownership of the 120-bed hospital at 13100 Fort King Road.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Florida Hospital Chain to buy Bayfront Health Dade City

What will change in Dade City under the Florida Hospital ownership?

Effective Sunday, Florida Hospital is committed to supporting the Dade City community and helping that hospital find a new stride. My job initially will be to go in and start learning from the team that's already there. It's been well-documented that this hospital has had its challenges over the last decade. But Florida Hospital is ready to support it. We've demonstrated a commitment to investing in hospitals in the Tampa Bay area to the tune of $600 million. In Zephyrhills alone, where we also have a hospital, we've spent $16 million in renovations. That will continue in Dade City. While we think of a hospital as an access point for care, we also see it as an anchor in the community.

What's your first order of business?

My plan is to start to build relationships and get to know the people there. We appreciate what they've been struggling with. We want their thoughts and input on where can strategically make investments. The goal is make this hospital a vibrant place again, and we want to invest in the right ways to do that. One priority right out of the gate will be to transition the hospital from its current electronic medical records systems, which are over 20 different types and paper records, to a uniform digital system. It's going to take some unwinding to do that, and it will be a significant investment of a couple million dollars, but it's important. What that does is it will allow patients to have better privacy and security, better access to receive information on imaging and operative notes, in a way that's seamless. All that translates to better care for our patients.

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How will Dade City fit in with other hospitals in the Florida Hospital network?

The local administration team in Dade City will work with the local leaders from Zephyrhills and our division office's CEO and leadership in Tampa. Together they'll support health in that part of Pasco County. We see ourselves in a position to deliver continuity of care up and down the 301 corridor and beyond I-75 in Pasco. We want to cut through the complex health care landscape for our patients.

So what should patients expect?

We want folks to know that we're very interested in their thoughts and ideas, just like our new employees. We have a vested interest in becoming a leader in health care for this community. We're passionate about pursuing those aspirations.

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Contact Justine Griffin at jgriffin@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8467. Follow @SunBizGriffin.