×

Kaleida Health developing partnership with Upper Allegheny Health System

BUFFALO — The New York State Public Health and Health Planning Council has approved the active parent model for Upper Allegheny Health System and Kaleida Health.

Under terms of the proposal, Kaleida Health will become the parent organization of UAHS. UAHS and its member hospitals, Bradford Regional Medical Center and Olean General Hospital, will become part of Kaleida Health while remaining separate legal entities with separate boards of directors.

Approval by the state health planning council is one of the final hurdles bringing the two organizations together. The affiliation is also under review by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and officials are hopeful of approval.

“Beyond approval by the Pennsylvania Department of Health there are filings with the Federal Trade Commission to be approved,” said Timothy J. Finan, president and CEO of Upper Allegheny Health System. We are hopeful that the entire process will be finished relatively quickly and the affiliation will become official later this spring.”

“This is another positive step forward in our plans to fully affiliate,” said Jody Lomeo, president and CEO of Kaleida Health. “Together, our goal is to continue to support and serve the Southern Tier and Northwestern Pennsylvania communities. We want to continue to collaborate and improve care on the local level.”

In May of 2016, UAHS signed a letter of intent to affiliate with Kaleida Health. The letter of intent proposes no immediate changes at either hospital, including staffing. BRMC and OGH will continue to provide existing inpatient, outpatient, emergency, diagnostic and therapeutic services.

In 2013, Kaleida Health and OGH jointly established an interventional cardiac catheterization laboratory in Olean. The cardiac program has performed more than 1,000 procedures, saving hundreds of lives in the process. Also in 2013, Kaleida Health and BRMC jointly established a home care agency, the VNA of Northwestern Pennsylvania in Bradford.

The opportunity to partner with Kaleida Health and its programs at places like the Gates Vascular Institute, Buffalo General Medical Center and Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo is to coordinate care so patients in the region will have access to appropriate care locally and be seamlessly transitioned to tertiary network care platforms when needed. Bradford Regional Medical Center and Olean General Hospital will also be have greater coordination of care and enhanced partnerships with Erie County Medical Center’s (a partner of Kaleida Health) centers of excellence in behavioral health and transplantation, along with adult level one trauma care.

Brooks Memorial Hospital in Dunkirk has a partnership with Kaleida and Lake Shore Hospital in Irving is in the process of developing its partnership.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today