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V O L . X X I N O. X V I I A U G U S T 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 30 essential components of achieving the plan's goal of improving primary care — the opening of two new primary care practices, one in Topsham and the other in Bath, at a combined cost of $11 million. Both facilities were designed with input from Mid Coast physician leaders to be "patient-centered medical homes," an emerging health care model that's based on treating patients proactively, instead of pas- sively waiting for them to walk through the door with a health problem. It also involves coordinated teams of physicians, nurse care managers and behavioral health specialists, working together with their patients, talking with them about the positives and negatives of diff erent treatment options and related costs. A more recent initiative, with far-reaching impli- cations, is the consolidation of the 55-bed Parkview Adventist Medical Center's inpatient and emergency services at Mid Coast Hospital. Under the proposal unveiled in mid-June, which coincided with Parkview's fi ling for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a new Mid Coast– Parkview Health System would be created. [ e fi ling triggered a challenge by Central Maine Healthcare Corp., which claimed Parkview owes it and its affi li- ated hospital Central Maine Medical Center more than $13 million, claims contested by Parkview.] Skillings says the proposed consolidation will "right-size" acute care services in relation to the population base of the 30 communities served by the two hospitals, while preserving the Parkview campus for physician practices, a walk-in clinic, as well as radiology, laboratory, ambulatory testing and surgery, oncology, hematology, infusion services, physical, occupational and speech therapy services, and community health and wellness programs. She expects a bankruptcy court ruling in 60 to 90 days. e consolidation plan, if the court concurs, would take at least a year to implement. Skillings says her leadership team and their counterpart, led by Parkview CEO and President Randee Reynolds, are already engaged in that process. " is is a community-driven solution that will preserve a local health care system for generations to come," she says. "Randee and I have a shared vision of what that means. I think it comes back to 'collaboration' and 'consensus.' We very much have a team approach here." She credits her mother, who died when Skillings was 27, as the role model for her own approach to being a health care leader. "She was an amazing woman, a consummate people person, she used humor to get along with everyone," Skillings says. "For about 15 years, she ran our family store in Pownal — a convenience store with a lunch counter. My mom was such a hard worker. She truly saw the best in people." Asked what motivates her, Skillings answers within a heartbeat, "I'm driven to improve health care. I don't see that challenge as a problem or a burden, I see it as an opportunity. is time we're now in really fi ts with how I see things. You can't improve by maintaining the status quo." JameS MCCarTHY, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at JmCCarTHY @ mainebiz.biz and @ JameSMainebiz » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E P H O T O / W I L L I A M T R E VA S K I S Lois Skillings, president and CEO of Mid Coast Health Services, says her background in nursing strongly infl uenced her collaborative approach to leadership.

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