The MedWest Board with Carolinas HealthCare System announced Wednesday that the organization is hiring an independent strategic consulting firm with specific expertise in hospital governance and hospital affiliation matters.

In a press release from MedWest, the board stated that the move was made to “assist in the process of our hospitals moving forward from a structural perspective.”

Since last year, MedWest Health System’s future as an affiliation between the three hospitals that make up the system — MedWest-Haywood, MedWest-Harris and MedWest-Swain — has been on shaky ground after the WestCare governing board (over Harris and Swain) voted to adopt a resolution to dissolve MedWest.

While only the MedWest board can actually make the decision to end the affiliation, no final determination ...