$50.3M in expenses

Lehigh valley physician group - pocono (LVPG-p) was established in 1985 as an affiliate of the pocono health system. As a non-profit corporation which supports both the lehigh valley hospital - pocono (LVH-p) and lehigh valley health network, LVPG-p operates several physicians' practices, including but not limited to, family medicine, hematology and oncology, internal medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, cardiology, general surgery, express cares and obstetrics and gynecology. LVPG-p is dedicated to serving our patients through the delivery of high quality and exceptional service. Continued clinician recruitment and growth are a focus, with the purpose of delivering the best resources and services to the community. With a current size of 90 physicians and 80 advanced practice clinicians, LVPG-p operates as a single entity with services provided at numerous locations within the monroe county region. During fy25, LVPG-p practices had over 346,948 patient visits.the organization has also enhanced the outpatient services offered to individuals in the area, including underinsured and indigent patients. Also, the organization provides physician practice support services including billing, information technology, and telecommunications.providing excellent quality care to our diverse and growing community while providing necessary capital for future growth is the organization's goal. All resources and program service expenses are utilized to offer our patients quality care through multiple service lines. For these services, the LVPG-p consistently evaluates and improves facilities, equipment and technology, quality review measures, and scheduling considerations to meet or exceed the standard of care expected.several of our practices offer multiple locations and extended office hours to make care more accessible to patients, including those living in underserved areas of the community.patient care programs:LVPG-p offers a continuum of health care promotion, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment to the community. Outpatient services are provided at locations throughout the region and are a part of a healthcare network established by LVPG-p and LVH-p to meet the medical and surgical needs of the residents of monroe and surrounding counties.infants/children/young adults:through our patient-centric philosophy including state-of-the-art diagnostic and medical techniques, LVPG provides superior outpatient pediatric medical care. A team of physicians and subspecialists, both from the community and from the hospital, provides services. Pocono has a level iii neonatal intensive care staffed by experienced neonatologists and neonatal nurses.primary care:primary care physicians and apcs provide high-quality, comprehensive, coordinated care to adults and children. We focus on a high-value, patient-centered approach based on longitudinal relationships. Our care model includes same-day illness and injury care, complex disease management, chronic care management, and preventive care. We accept medical assistance patients, offer VFC at all our locations that serve the pediatric population, and promote an equitable, safe, and friendly care environment for patients of all demographics. Our patients now have access to care through telehealth both to their established primary care clinician as well as to our primary care -based virtual express care. This technology creates a paradigm of enhanced access in a convenient manner. We actively leverage telemedicine to provide high quality care to patients with transportation insecurity and those who live in remote regions. In addition, we collaborate with health network laboratory mobile services to facilitate timely completion of lab work in patients with transportation insecurity. We also have several programs which enhance the well-being of the community. This extends to provision and partnership for student health care services to east stroudsburg university. We offer a physician-led literacy program called "reach out and read," through which children visiting a participating practice receive an age-appropriate book during their annual well-child visit. In collaboration with the lehigh valley topper cancer institute, we have increased rates of lung cancer screening including efforts to reduce disparities in screening rates. Our linkage to addiction treatment & opioid stewardship program has continued to support our practices in providing medications for opioid use disorders (moud) across seven counties. Many of these patients face intense barriers to care such as chronic homelessness, past incarceration, and undertreated mental health conditions. We have a program which facilitates weaning patients off opiates by providing them with alternative treatment options. Our practices are highly engaged in educational efforts, contributing to the skill development of primary care nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and physicians. This education includes partnerships with many local colleges and universities, as well as thomas jefferson's sidney kimmell medical school, the philadelphia college of osteopathic medicine, and the university of south florida morsani college of medicine. Our practices also support local nursing homes, school sports, and community events.express care:express care locations at LVPG-pocono provide immediate walk-in care from 8 a.m. To 8 p.m., 7 days a week. Services include treatment for common illnesses and minor injuries such as sprains, cuts, rashes, seasonal allergies, flu symptoms, bronchitis, ear infections, sore throats, fevers, and more. We also offer routine school physicals and follow-up vaccinations, providing a cost-effective alternative to the emergency room for lower acuity patients. Pocono's express care locations are uniquely positioned to serve both residents and visitors to the region, offering extended hours during peak tourist seasons to accommodate increased demand.medical specialties:LVPG provides a broad array of medical specialty care across the pocono region. Care coordination with access to specialty areas and collaboration with primary care colleagues is essential to provide optimal patient outcomes for our community. We have robust specialty care services throughout the region, with full-time services offered in a vast array of medical disciplines including rheumatology, gastroenterology, pulmonary, critical care, endocrinology, and infectious diseases. Specialty care in cardiology, hematology and neurology is offered through the heart & vascular institute, cancer institute and neuroscience institute, respectively. Obesity medicine services were launched in fy24.gastroenterology services:LVPG provides gastroenterology care in the pocono region. This service aims to improve the digestive health of patients. LVPG's team supports routine and chronic care needs and promotes quality care through routine colonoscopy screening. LVPG's local gastroenterology practice began providing advanced endoscopy services such as ercp and endoscopic ultrasound within the LVH-pocono hospital to provide greater local access to patients in and around monroe county.pulmonary services:pulmonary provides comprehensive pulmonary care ranging from a general pulmonary evaluation and treatment to access to advanced bronchoscopy for diagnosis of lung cancer and other pulmonary diseases. Patients have access to multidisciplinary care for lung cancer including specialists in pulmonary, oncology, radiation oncology, and thoracic surgery. Several new physicians have been hired to support both inpatient and outpatient care. There has been an expansion of sleep medicine in the area and includes inspire for surgical treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.econsult program:as part of the econsult program, LVPG-p clinicians can pose non-urgent questions regarding their patients to their specialist colleagues across multiple disciplines. Requests and recommendations are formally incorporated into the EMR and are included in the patient's medical record. The availability of specialists across the ambulatory landscape has improved access and enhanced continuity of care. Adult econsult services include addiction medicine, anticoagulation management, cardiology, disability support, endocrinology, ent, geriatrics, gynecology, hematology, HIV/pre-exposure prophylaxis, infectious diseases, long covid, medical oncology (diagnostic advice), neurology, orthopedics, pain management, pulmonology, psychiatry, rheumatology, toxicology and urology. Our pediatric econsult program also includes endocrinology, infectious disease, gastroenterology and hematology. Inpatient medicine is also live with econsults.occupational medicine:LVHN offers occupational medicine specialty services in the northern tier at four dedicated offices including tannersville. The level of service and scope of care match those described above in hazleton territory.

— in expenses

Neurosciences:neurology care is available through LVPG-pocono both in the outpatient and acute and inpatient neurology through our internal telestroke services as well as locally employed clinicians. Updates from the past year include:-pocono now has 24-hour long-term eeg monitoring available in their critical care unit. Studies are read by the cedar crest fellowship-trained epileptologists and clinical neurophysiologists.-LVHN is now offering the inspire maskless system for treating sleep apnea by clinicians in pulmonology, ent, and neurology. Based on quality and regulation standards by the american heart association, pocono received the stroke gold plus award for performance as well as made the stroke elite honor roll. In addition, they welcomed the joint commission onsite and achieved 2-year recertification as a primary stroke center following a successful survey.-we began anti-amyloid infusion therapy for biomarker-positive mci and early-onset alzheimer's disease. 36 patients from the fleming memory center are currently receiving this treatment. This treatment is available to any patient meeting inclusion criteria throughout the network.-viz.AI, an artificial intelligence platform used to improve patient outcomes in acute stroke cases, is now live across all locations.-our team conducted the 21st annual stroke symposium through both in-person and delayed virtual viewing platforms. The event was a huge success, boasting our highest post-pandemic in-person numbers with over 100 participants in attendance.heart and vascular services:as the only full-service cardiovascular hospital in the region, LVPG-p offers vascular and cardiac procedures on site, a team that is designated to treat high-risk heart attacks, and the only open-heart surgery program of its kind in the region. Cardiology services include inpatient and outpatient care, supervision of heart station services and electrophysiology and interventional procedures. This past year, the electrophysiology program introduced pulse field ablation procedures to the region.women's health services:LVPG-p maintains comprehensive obstetrics and gynecology services, including general obstetric / gynecologic care and maternal fetal medicine services. These comprehensive programs are delivered by teams of healthcare providers including physicians, midwives, obstetrics and gynecologic hospitalists, and advanced practice clinicians along with their related clinical staff. To meet the needs of the larger pocono community, we offer sites of service in stroudsburg and bartonsville as well as tobyhanna and brodheadsville.cancer services:as part of the lehigh valley topper cancer institute, the dale and frances hughes cancer center at LVH-p is a part of our expanded alignment with jefferson health and specifically the sidney kimmel cancer center at jefferson. This allows patients and their families access to innovative and cutting-edge treatment closer to home.the cancer care program includes several components, such as prevention, genetic counseling, detection, diagnosis, therapy, clinical trials, rehabilitation, and evaluation of care related to cancer. We have continued to expand treatments options through the expanded clinical trials programs. We have also added additional surgical services including full access to surgical oncology and breast surgery. We are offering biopsies in the office, saving patients time and appointments. In medical oncology we are expanding physicians' coverage to allow more access to subspecialized experts. Orthopedic services:the lehigh valley orthopedic institute has a multidisciplinary practice in east stroudsburg, and we provided 855 procedures to the community in fy25. These procedures include total joint replacements, foot and ankle surgery, general orthopedics, hand surgery, and pain management procedures. We are proud of our multidisciplinary program located at 505 independence road in east stroudsburg where we provide care to a diverse group of patients in the community. We provide 24/7 orthopedic trauma coverage at the LVHN pocono hospital. Our team is very active in the community and committed to high quality care in this region.surgical services:LVPG-p physicians, advanced practice clinicians, and allied health professionals deliver comprehensive and coordinated surgical care across a wide range of specialties such as: bariatric surgery, cardiac surgery, colorectal surgery, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology, plastic and reconstructive surgery, surgical oncology, trauma surgery, urology and vascular surgery. There are two da vinci robotic-assisted surgery systems that support minimally invasive care to patients in specialties including colon-rectal, bariatrics, general, and gynecology. Notably, LVPG-p proudly performed its first inspire v procedure this year, demonstrating commitment to bringing innovative surgical solutions to the community. LVH-p is also designated as a level iii trauma center and offers a robust wound care program that includes advanced hyperbaric therapy.behavioral health services:LVPG physicians and advanced practice clinicians provide medical leadership for the LVH acute care inpatient mental health program for adults in primarily carbon, monroe, and pike counties and provide inpatient psychiatric, psychological, substance abuse and social services in all clinical areas. Among the areas of focus were the continued expansion of the zero suicide initiative, including internal suicidal prevention pathways, mitigation of ligature risk, and suicide prevention training in the emergency departments and medical-surgical units. Partnering with carbon/monroe/pike counties, the "warm handoff" program continues. This program follows individuals who have had suicidal thoughts and behaviors as they are discharged from LVHN inpatient and emergency departments into the community to confirm a solid connection to appropriate care. There is a continuing focus at the pocono inpatient psychiatric unit on quality measures. These include patient safety, fall reduction, and improved compliance with treatment plan reviews, as well as ensuring continuity of care between the patient and their primary care provider. The psychiatric evaluation services in the ed and medical/surgical services have been aligned with the practices in the lehigh region.virtual care and telemedicine:LVHN has remained a leader in the development and implementation of innovative virtual care programs that have expanded our capacity to provide high-quality healthcare services throughout our growing network and beyond. Another example of this is the virtual primary care practice. Virtual care programs allow our team to offer specialty care to sites and patients that would otherwise not have access to these services.educational programs and affiliations:LVH-p remains untapped as a graduate medical site. This is purposeful as the hospital has not established its CMS cap and had great potential as a future robust gme site. Several training programs including obgyn and in the future gastroenterology and colorectal will take advantage of periodic unique surgical offerings with the exceptional surgeons working at the hospital.full year 3 curriculum is taught at LVH-p for students from the philadelphia college of osteopathic medicine, with up to 11 students completing the whole year and others completing specific rotations.community health needs assessment (chna):a chna report examines the factors impacting people's health and wellness in a particular geographical area. The chna report provides an overview of the current state of health in the region and identifies potential areas of concern that can inform the design of clinical programs.these reports are generated annually and are reviewed by LVHN executive leadership at each campus. Population health needs are prioritized based on the community's input and LVHN's ability to make a difference on those initiatives. Next steps include developing strategies to address prioritized health needs which will be presented in LVHN's chna implementation plan.effective at the close of business on 12/31/2024, schuylkill health system medical group, INC., a pennsylvania nonprofit corporation ("shsmg" aka "LVPG-s"), family care centers, INC., a pennsylvania nonprofit corporation ("FCC" aka "LVPG-p"), and hazleton professional services, a pennsylvania nonprofit corporation ("HPS" aka "LVPG-h") merged with and into lehigh valley physician group. The separate existence of shsmg, FCC, and HPS ceased, and LVPG is the surviving entity of the merger. LVPG became the owner of all assets and property of shsmg, FCC, and HPS, and all obligations belonging to or due to each of shsmg, FCC, and HPS.