Ascension forms national senior health ministry

Ascension Health, the country’s largest Catholic non-profit health system, has united all of its senior health programs under a single national organization.

Ascension, based in St. Louis, has formed Ascension Health Senior Care to streamline care delivery, resources and support across its 34 senior care facilities. The new organization will encompass more than 5,500 senior care beds and the additional 725 older adults participating in Ascension’s three PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) programs.

Using a unified, national operations strategy will position Ascension to identify best practices, maintain consistent standards and expand programs through growth opportunities, said Anthony R. Tersigni, EdD, FACHE, Ascension’s president and CEO, in a press release. "By bringing together the services and programs that are serving seniors across our national health ministry, we will enhance care through shared best practices and increased focus on caring for the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of seniors."

The restructuring will also help Ascension to harness cost efficiencies while boosting care innovation, notes Mark Frey, Ascension Health Ministry market leader for senior services and president/CEO of the Alexian Brothers Health System. "Our vision calls for providing holistic care and support to the seniors we serve. It also calls for developing and implementing innovative care models that improve health outcomes, reduce costs, and improve the experience of seniors with their unique clinical and functional needs."

Pamela Tabar

Pamela Tabar was editor-in-chief of I Advance Senior Care from 2013-2018. She has worked as a writer and editor for healthcare business media since 1998, including as News Editor of Healthcare Informatics. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University and a master’s degree in English from the University of York, England.