10/18/2016
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa., Oct. 18, 2016 – Susquehanna Health announced today that it has officially joined UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center), becoming UPMC Susquehanna.
Susquehanna Health announced a letter of intent in May 2016 following a two-year extensive exploration to find an organization supportive of its long-term vision for the communities it serves. UPMC has committed to advance Susquehanna’s goals to expand health care services, maintain its patient-focused mission, invest in information technology, and introduce more choice for health insurance for the region.
“Today marks a new era of health care for our region. Building on our strong clinical quality and patient safety track record, emphasis on caring for patients and expertise in delivering care to all of the communities we serve, including rural communities, Susquehanna Health is even stronger with UPMC,” said Steven P. Johnson, president, UPMC Susquehanna. “As a pre-eminent academic medical center and insurer, UPMC brings great resources to our community. UPMC’s academic partner, the University of Pittsburgh, has a medical school ranked fifth in NIH research funding and UPMC has the third-largest residency and fellowship program in the country. UPMC is the largest medical and behavioral health services insurer in western Pennsylvania and the number one insurance plan in the state for quality and consumer satisfaction. Through this affiliation, we are able to bring a new level of innovation and advanced care to our region.”
UPMC is making a $500 million investment in the newly named UPMC Susquehanna as an early demonstration of its commitment to expand services for the people of northcentral Pennsylvania. Following this announcement, the first area of focus for UPMC Susquehanna is to expand emergency, heart and vascular, and cancer services. Other strategic priorities include establishing a neurosciences center of excellence, improving access to care with an urgent care network, and replacing an inpatient rehabilitation facility built in the 1960s. With the addition of these and other specialty services, UPMC Susquehanna will be adding jobs to the region as the services grow.
The existing foundations in Lycoming and Tioga counties and their assets of over $40 million will exist in their current form. All fundraising dollars and donor gifts will continue to stay local and be used to support health care services in northcentral Pennsylvania.
UPMC Susquehanna’s local governance will continue under the Board of Directors consisting of 16 volunteer business and community members along with eight newly appointed members from UPMC. The UPMC Susquehanna Board will be responsible for quality of care, medical staff and growth initiatives.
“A shared mission for patient-centered care and innovative work models brought us together and empower us to move forward and grow services for this community,” said Ann Pepperman, UPMC Susquehanna Board of Directors chairwoman. “UPMC has a history of investing in the communities it touches. Affiliating with UPMC ensures we have access to the resources to keep and add important services here in our local communities.”
“We couldn’t be more pleased to share and execute our vision for the future of health care with an organization as strong and successful as Susquehanna Health. We look forward to extending UPMC’s expertise and innovative resources to this region,” said Steven Shapiro, M.D., executive vice president, chief medical officer, and president—Health Services Division, UPMC. “With UPMC’s leading integrated health care delivery and insurance model, we also share with Susquehanna the same firm commitment UPMC has proven in other communities, and that is to keep high-quality affordable care locally accessible and close to home for our patients.”
