{"id":179477,"date":"2026-04-29T18:50:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T18:50:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/179477\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T18:50:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T18:50:34","slug":"tenor-commonwealth-health-officials-give-update-on-regional-hospitals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/179477\/","title":{"rendered":"Tenor, Commonwealth Health officials give update on regional hospitals"},"content":{"rendered":"

WILKES-BARRE \u2014 Nearly three months after Tenor Health Foundation acquired three Commonwealth Health hospitals in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties, three top executives provided an overview of accomplishments achieved and the organization\u2019s immediate goals on Monday.<\/p>\n

Tenor CEO Radha Savitala joined Commonwealth Health CEO Michael B. Clark and Dr. Patrick Conaboy, vice president of clinical services for Commonwealth, at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital for a conversation about that facility as well as Regional Hospital of Scranton and its nearby Moses Taylor Hospital campus in the city.<\/p>\n

Tenor completed the acquisition of the three hospitals as well as related physician clinic operations, ambulatory surgical centers and outpatient services from Community Health Systems on Feb. 1 for $33 million in cash and a $15 million promissory note.<\/p>\n

The first 90 days has been a \u201cstabilization period,\u201d Conaboy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the areas that\u2019s most important to note is working as a market and not duplicating efforts,\u201d Clark added. \u201cWith the help of Tenor, we\u2019ve gone through all of our purchasing systems, our payroll systems, our billing and collections, making improvements. We\u2019re bringing people back to the organization that previously had worked remotely out of CHS, and now they\u2019ll be on-site or working remotely with us here, dedicated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conaboy said Wilkes-Barre General sees about 30,000 emergency room visits annually, and numbers are about double that when including the Scranton facilities, with well over 3,000 employees, both clinical and support staff, and well over 700,000 patient encounters annually from all three hospitals, and he sees the opportunity for growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe already have some very high-level services (in Wilkes-Barre) that will continue to grow, such as cardiac thoracic surgery, particularly. Orthopedic school is a strong area and we\u2019ll continue to grow in that,\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n

He also sees opportunities for \u201ctremendous growth\u201d in the obstetrics and neo-natal intensive care unit at Moses Taylor, which he said is the only such provider in the area.<\/p>\n

\"FromFrom left, Commonwealth Health Vice President of Clinical Services Dr. Patrick Conaboy, Commonwealth Health CEO Michael Clark and Tenor Health Foundation CEO Radha Savitala speak during an interview in a conference room in Wilkes-Barre General Hospital in Wilkes-Barre Monday, April 27, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)<\/p>\n

Clark said there are currently no plans for closing any facilities, although the company recently hired an architectural space planning group to look at opportunities in Regional and Moses Taylor and compare infrastructure between facilities \u201cto identify plant purchases that we would need to support each one. But this is very, very early in that process.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be a costly endeavor to consolidate services, so, we want to do that very thoughtfully and make certain that we make the right choices for the patients,\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n

Restoration, expansion of services<\/p>\n

Asked about restoration of the emergency room at Moses Taylor, which closed in 2022, and inpatient childbirth services at Wilkes-Barre General, which ended in 2023, Savitala said leadership must continue a focus on stabilization for the time being.<\/p>\n

\u201cStabilization right now is first and foremost for us. We\u2019ve had folks that have resigned, whether that\u2019s clinical or support staff, and \u2026 both Dr. Conaboy and Michael Clark did a great job with reaching out to these individuals, as well as departments as a whole, to set forth a stabilization plan,\u201d Savitala said.<\/p>\n

\"TenorTenor Health Foundation CEO Radha Savitala speaks during an interview in a conference room in Wilkes-Barre General Hospital in Wilkes-Barre Monday, April 27, 2026, as Commonwealth Health CEO Michael Clark looks on. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re happy to report that many of them have decided to rescind their resignation and stay. Part of the stabilization, as well, is to really operate as a market, which Commonwealth Health really has not done in the past. So, it is ensuring that the vital services that we provide in each of the regions are coming together so that, as a market, we can serve all of these counties and populations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Hiring problems dissipated<\/p>\n

Past hiring challenges compounded by uncertainty over whether one of both Scranton facilities might close have dissipated to a large degree. Now, potential hires see a future with the company.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been shocked by the number of people who want to come and work for us. The last couple years in both markets, but especially in the Scranton market, were filled with a lot of uncertainty,\u201d Conaboy said.\u00a0\u201cEvery request we have put out, openings for new positions, has been met with an avalanche of people. CHS had us convinced that nobody wanted to come to Northeast PA. It turns out, that is dramatically untrue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have so many people applying who have been working in areas around New York and Philadelphia, etc, and they\u2019re all saying the same thing. \u2026 You guys are in the perfect spot,\u201d Conaboy said, noting the recent hires of two cardiologists and letters of intent from several other physicians. \u201cThe cost of living in this area is so much better than the Hudson Valley or those places outside of New York City or Philadelphia. The schools are fantastic. When we put out requests, we are now interviewing four to five doctors a week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TenorTenor Health Foundation CEO Radha Savitala speaks during an interview in a conference room in Wilkes-Barre General Hospital in Wilkes-Barre Monday, April 27, 2026, as Commonwealth Health CEO Michael Clark looks on. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)<\/p>\n

Conaboy deferred to Clark to discuss the importance of offering competitive salaries and benefits in the NEPA market to compete with Geisinger and Jefferson Health, \u201cwho have started what appears to be a nuclear war when it comes to trying to hire people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jefferson merged with Lehigh Valley Health Network, the owner of the former Hazleton General Hospital, in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to have some difficulty in recruiting certain specialties. Every healthcare provider, certainly in the region, has a high need for specialized CT technicians and MRI technicians,\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n

Commonwealth Health is performing market studies on wages, benefits, shift differentials, on-call pay and other forms of compensation. They found that starting pay in Scranton is \u201cvery close to the market,\u201d but there is a need \u201cto make some adjustments further down so that we can continue to reward those employees appropriately,\u201d Clark said<\/p>\n

To make Commonwealth Health \u201cthe very best places to work,\u201d officials are bringing back things such as celebrations for terms of service \u201cso that people can feel the appreciation that we have for them. We (are) \u2026 talking to the staff, asking, \u2018What is going well for you, what could we help to improve?\u2019 so that they know that we listen to them. \u2026 Being a bit of a smaller system, we can move quicker\u201d to make those things happen, Clark said.<\/p>\n

Rural health initiatives<\/p>\n

Commonwealth Health officials hope they can acquire significant funding from the Rural Health Transportation Fund included in President Donald Trump\u2019s One Big Beautiful Bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur local rural communities depend upon Wilkes-Barre General Hospital and the Scranton hospitals to support them. While there are a number of hospitals in some of our five surrounding counties, there are actually one or two counties that don\u2019t even have a hospital,\u201d Conaboy said. \u201cWhen they have something complex \u2026 those patients are transferred here. So, those rural communities are a real part of our mission, and always have been.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CommonwealthCommonwealth Health Vice President of Clinical Services Dr. Patrick Conaboy speaks during an interview in a conference room in Wilkes-Barre General Hospital in Wilkes-Barre Monday, April 27, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)<\/p>\n

Commonwealth Health is considering several proposals for improving and\/or expanding services for those rural communities through the Wilkes-Barre and Scranton hospitals with the federal funding.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to take some of that care out into the communities, whether it\u2019s through remote monitoring or on-site clinics, is something we\u2019re looking at aggressively,\u201d while also recognizing the need to extend obstetric services there, Conaboy said.\u00a0\u201cBeing able to deliver that care closer to the mom and baby\u2019s location is really important. A lot of women in those areas don\u2019t get the prenatal care that they need, and a lot of the babies don\u2019t get the follow-up care that they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

The patient experience<\/p>\n

Savitala said officials are placing a major emphasis on being patient-centered and ensuring that quality standards are being discussed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019ve heard in being out in the community is, the quality at (Wilkes-Barre) General, especially, has come down in relation to what it was years ago. And, that\u2019s just not true,\u201d Savitla said, noting accolades and recognition from various organizations to the quality of care at the hospitals.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally, it is our mission to ensure that patients are the focus and that we are talking to the patients. Our chief medical officers are involved, as well as our quality folks. And when there are patients that are being discharged, we have conversations with them and talk about the experience,\u201d Savitala said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, when you have such large numbers of patient encounters, you need to ensure that they\u2019re having the best experience they can,\u201d Savitala said. \u201cSo, I think that\u2019s one of the other shifts of focus \u2014 ensuring that the patients are feeling appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"State<\/p>\n

State Sen. Marty Flynn discuss health care with Tenor Health and other local officials on Monday, April 27, 20206 at Flynn’s Scranton office. (CHAD SEBRING\/STAFF PHOTO)<\/p>\n

\"From<\/p>\n

From left: Michael B. Clark, CEO of Wilkes-Barre General, Regional Hospital and Moses Taylor Hospital; Aaron Kaufer, managing partner of Kaufer Strategic; Radha Savitala, CEO of Tenor Health Foundation, and Patrick D. Conaboy, M.D., vice president of clinical services and quality at Regional Hospital and Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, talks with state Sen. Marty Flynn on Monday April, 27,2026. (CHAD SEBRING\/STAFF PHOTO)<\/p>\n

\"State<\/p>\n

State Sen. Marty Flynn discuss health care with Tenor Health and other local officials on Monday, April 27, 20206 at Flynn’s Scranton office. (CHAD SEBRING\/STAFF PHOTO)<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 3<\/p>\n

State Sen. Marty Flynn discuss health care with Tenor Health and other local officials on Monday, April 27, 20206 at Flynn’s Scranton office. (CHAD SEBRING\/STAFF PHOTO)<\/p>\n

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