With a public hearing on the hospital affiliation process on Tuesday, May 30, the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital is making more progress toward a potential partnership with a larger health care entity.

On Thursday, May 11, the Public Hospital District No. 4’s board of commissioners heard a presentation on the affiliation process from Sarah Cave and Steve Huebner, the two consultants selected to work with the board on the affiliation process.

An affiliation with a larger hospital system would allow the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital to receive support for its health care services and bring long-term financial stability by reducing their debt in an affiliation, merger, or sale, said Tom Parker, chief executive officer of the hospital district.

Cave and Huebner presented their market analysis of the hospital, an overview of all the elements that will be included in the upcoming Request for Proposals (RFP), and information on an upcoming public hearing to collect feedback from the people of the district.

Some of the key take-aways the consultants found in their market analysis were that both the hospital’s primary service area and the district as a whole are growing and aging, which will produce a significant increase in health care volume in the upcoming years. The hospital’s primary service area is North Bend, Snoqualmie, and Fall City, which make up 76.5 percent of the total inpatient discharges since 2014; together these communities are expected to grow 21 percent to almost 44,000 people.

The consultants also said the hospital is in a good position because of the strong commercial inpatient payer mix and low percentage of Medicaid and self-pay customers. They also anticipate a growth in demand for outpatient services and post acute care. The payer mix as well as the growing population base in the Valley make the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital highly attractive to possible partners, Cave said.

Cave and Huebner concluded that an affiliation is an opportunity for a partner to keep patients in the Valley service area from migrating to health care systems outside of the Valley by allowing the hospital to expand existing services or add new ones, including general surgery and orthopedics.

The next step in the process is the development for a Request for Proposals and a list of organizations to send it to. At a work study session at 6 p.m. on May 24, the hospital district’s board of directors will determine the criteria on which the proposals will be evaluated, finalize the list of RFP recipients and prepare for the public hearing on the affiliation.

The public hearing is set to begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 30, at Snoqualmie City Hall, council chambers. The hearing will allow Valley residents to give feedback on the affiliation proposal and the principles and goals of the board.

The board plans to vote on the final RFP at its next regular meeting on Thursday, June 8.

For more information on the upcoming meetings, agendas, and minutes, visit snoqualmiehospital.org.