CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic and Magnolia Health Systems Join To Expand Care

CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System announced today that Magnolia Health Systems – Physicians of East Texas (MHS), has become a part of CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System a regional, faith-based, not for profit health system, headquartered in Tyler, Texas. The agreement, which takes effect July 1, brings together two prestigious health care organizations to improve access to care for patients and expanding each organization’s service offerings across the region.

CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System and MHS have joined together in this agreement to increase the capacity and ability to meet the ever-growing health care needs of Northeast Texans through increased resources and innovative services. The joining of Magnolia Health Systems – Physicians of East Texas with CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic will provide unparalleled access within the communities of Palestine, Elkhart, Fairfield, Grapeland, Buffalo and beyond to CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System.

“By aligning with Magnolia Health Systems – Physicians of East Texas, CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic is demonstrating our continual commitment to provide Northeast Texas with the very highest levels of care”, said Steven P. Keuer, M.D., President of CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic and Chief Medical Officer of CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System. “We approach actions with the mindset of ‘How will this affect the patient?’ Our goal is to keep the care of our patients as our priority, and this partnership reflects those values. We take great pride in the quality of care we provide to our patients at every CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic location and across CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System, and we are confident that this alignment will improve upon the already excellent care provided by the Magnolia Health Systems physicians for the people of Northeast Texas.”

This new partnership will add more than 24 high-skilled providers to the distinguished CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic Medical Staff in specialties including cardiology, endoscopy, pain management, family practice, neurology, family practice, internal medicine and pediatrics. Support services such as comprehensive imaging, sleep medicine, cardiac exams, physical therapy, an on-site laboratory and Urgent Care will remain operational at the Palestine Medical Plaza location. Additionally, the former MHS locations in Palestine, Elkhart, Grapeland, Buffalo and Fairfield will become CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic locations. The transition will be completed by July 1, 2017.

“We focus on the patient first,” said Dr. Alec Law, Managing Partner – Magnolia Health Systems, “by offering a robust array of ancillary services within the community. This allows for our patients to have the rapid, high-quality testing they need, right in their own community. We have decided to pursue this agreement with CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System to better serve the patients of this region and to continue to grow within the Palestine and surrounding communities.”

Patients of MHS will see no immediate change in their care beyond ongoing updates to signage, logos and other ancillary materials. Patients will be able to continue treatment with their established providers in a setting that is comfortable and familiar, with improved access to the award-winning specialists and resources of CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System, the region’s preferred health care provider. Most insurance providers and plans will remain in-network for patients, and the impact on patients will be minimal. Additionally, the clinics will continue to see patients out-of-network, as long as there is an out-of-network benefit available on the patient’s insurance plan.

One significant change will be the increase in available services, treatments and specialty providers to patients through CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System throughout the region, both initially and over time. Additionally, specialists in cardiology, orthopedics as well as other subspecialties will be available in these new CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic locations – with the goal to develop and establish expanded health services and more facilities throughout the region.

“Although a native of Palestine, having been trained as a cardiologist in Boston and having lived there for 15 years, I was totally ignorant of the quality of tertiary referral hospitals in this area when I began my practice here in 1984,” said Robert McFarlane, M.D., a cardiologist one of Magnolia’s founders. “As a cardiologist, I was totally surprised and elated to see the then nascent heart program at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Tyler only 40 miles away blossom into one of the best in the country.

Ours is a referral relationship, now lasting over 30 years, that continues to afford immense satisfaction as I take great pride in the steady parade of good outcomes for those whom I have referred. Not only are their cardiac surgeons nonpareil, but, upon their return to my office, the quality of the CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System nursing service receives just as many compliments from my patients. I take great comfort in knowing that my patients and their children in the Palestine area will have local access to health care managed by the best possible of hands.”

“We pride ourselves on our commitment to bringing the best patient care and services to Northeast Texas. This has been an integral part of CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System’s mission as a faith-based health provider for almost 80 years, and we will continue to realize that vision for Northeast Texas for years to come,” said Chris Glenney, FACHE, Senior Vice President of Group Operations for CHRISTUS Health and Chief Executive Officer of CHRISTUS Health Northeast Texas, which includes CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System, CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System and CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Health System. “This agreement with Magnolia Health Systems will allow us to build upon the foundation set forth by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of Houston and the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of San Antonio many years ago with a partner that shares our values and dedication to quality care. We will not only continue to serve the people of Northeast Texas diligently, but grow to expand access to the highest quality health care as Northeast Texans have come to expect.”

The addition of Magnolia Health Systems expands access to care for patients across the region. CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic now includes more than 500 physicians and advanced practice providers representing 42 specialties in 43 locations service patients across 41 counties in Northeast Texas, making it one of the largest physician groups in the nation.