FirstHealth of the Carolinas Inc., MedQuest Associates, Inc. and its affiliates have partnered to operate Southern Pines Diagnostic Imaging, an existing outpatient diagnostic imaging facility in Southern Pines, North Carolina.
As part of the joint venture, FirstHealth and MedQuest, a leading national provider of radiology management services and imaging center joint venture operator, will continue to provide ambulatory diagnostic imaging service offerings at the Southern Pines location. The center will be renamed FirstHealth Southern Pines Diagnostic Imaging.
“The opportunity to become a partner in a high-quality, well-established imaging center and establish a relationship that can support FirstHealth in driving its ambulatory services strategy was very attractive to us,” says David J. Kilarski, CEO of FirstHealth of the Carolinas. “The partnership with MedQuest will allow us to combine strengths in ways that benefit patients, physicians and payers in the community.”
MedQuest believes partnering with leading health systems in a community is the best path in many service areas. “We are thrilled to be partners with FirstHealth, which has a longstanding reputation of delivering excellent care in Pinehurst and its other markets,” says MedQuest CEO Bruce Elder. “All of our goals in the community are enhanced with this partnership, including our ability to engage with local practices, expand access to all patients, and continue the delivery of high-quality diagnostic imaging and patient service.”
About MedQuest
MedQuest is a leading owner, operator and manager of diagnostic imaging facilities and hospital radiology services, with a network of nearly 50 imaging centers and 14 acute care hospital radiology departments under management. As one of the nation’s most experienced outpatient imaging partners, MedQuest also provides comprehensive services, including outpatient imaging management and joint venture (JV), referring physician engagement and service line performance consulting. Serving health systems, hospitals and imaging centers nationwide, MedQuest draws upon decades of operational experience and industry knowledge to deliver comprehensive guidance and solutions that increase revenue and optimize operations, while improving quality and the patient experience. MedQuest’s industry-leading proprietary systems and processes create an unrivaled value proposition for customers. Learn more at www.mqradiology.com.
About FirstHealth
Headquartered in Pinehurst, FirstHealth of the Carolinas is a private, not-for-profit health care network with more than 4,700 employees serving 15 counties in the mid-Carolinas. Licensed for four hospitals with 531 beds and also including facilities for inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, a hospice, a home care program, community outreach programs, behavioral services, fitness facilities, primary and convenient care practices, a hospitality house, EMS and critical care transport services, a non-profit insurance plan, a philanthropic foundation and a host of other services, FirstHealth demonstrates a commitment to treating the whole patient and to providing quality health care for the entire community – especially those in need. Among numerous other awards, FirstHealth has been named a Top 100 Hospital and a Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospital by Truven Health Analytics and one of the best hospitals in North Carolina by U.S. News & World Reports.