Over five years, Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital's share of regional inpatient hospital admissions has grown as its nearest competitor's slice of the pie has remained relatively unchanged. [See story]

What's your take on Carilion's share of the local healthcare market?

meg martin:

Over five years, Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital's share of regional inpatient hospital admissions has grown as its nearest competitor's slice of the pie has remained relatively unchanged. [See story]

What's your take on Carilion's share of the local healthcare market?

To put it simply, competition is good and a monopoly is bad.

I hope that Lewis-Gale Medical Center will be able to keep pace with the growth experienced by Carilion. We have always utilized Lewis-Gale and have found the medical staff to be superb!

Healthy competition can only be beneficial to residents of the Roanoke Valley--both in offering choices and lowering healthcare costs. I would find it hard to believe that a monopoly could benefit citizens in any way.

 Carilion has aggressively grown according to a strategic plan.  I am impressed with the vision behind the Carilion Clinic concept, the commitment to recruiting high caliber doctors to the area.  In psychiatry where my husband works there is a very impressive and growing department.  The need for more child psychiatrists has led to the arrival of several excellent new physicians due to a targeted recruitment effort.  I am excited by Carilion's commitment to medical best practices like electronic medical records such that physicians can get timely information about their referrals.  The growth and progress is exciting.

First, I would comment that if we have learned nothing else during this economic crisis, it is that there is such a thing as too big and such a thing as too little oversight/regulation.  Already having gone from three hospitals to two in a growing valley area says something. Carilion has a huge footprint.  (So did 'the railroad' at one time ??)  There are legitimate concerns over the quality and availability of care for the working poor and indigent which in the end creates the very expensive ER/crisis health care system. Preventive Care is the recommended model for a healthy society and a healthy society is a more productive society.  We need to require more of all and support those services that help us achieve that.  Carilion may or may not voluntarily meet the needs of the area.  It is easy to have that "root little pig or die" mentality (and Lord knows, many do) but it is counterproductive and counter intuitive in my opinion.

Having experienced both LG and Carilion, I am a much bigger fan of LG and happily drive farther for what I consider better care.  That is, however a completely subjective opinion and I know it.