4/15/1996
PITTSBURGH, April 15, 1996 — McKeesport Hospital and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center System have agreed to an affiliation. An affiliation agreement has been unanimously approved by the boards of both UPMC and McKeesport Hospital.
"We at McKeesport Hospital view this affiliation with such a strong health care leader as a significant step forward, " said Ronald H. Ott, president and CEO of McKeesport Hospital. "In this age where collaborations and networks are essential for success, we are very pleased about this relationship. UPMC has shown initiative in working with local hospitals like ours, and in turn, positively impacting the communities they serve
This arrangement does not affect the governance or operational structure at McKeesport Hospital. Instead, Ott calls it "an opportunity for the two facilities to reduce costs and share resources, while enhancing clinical services."
According to Jeffrey Romoff, president of the UPMC, strong community hospitals with a solid base of primary care providers, like McKeesport Hospital, are key elements in the comprehensive health care delivery system that UPMC is building. This system will extend throughout Western Pennsylvania.
"We are pleased McKeesport Hospital has chosen to join our network of affiliates, " Romoff added. "Through this affiliation, the citizens of McKeesport will be able to further benefit from the resources of the UPMC."
As part of the affiliation agreement, UPMC has pledged its support in helping McKeesport Hospital enhance its primary care physician base. "The key success factor in this managed care environment is a close relationship between a hospital and its physicians," Ott said. "Forming collaborations positions the hospital and our physicians together on a health care team dedicated to caring for the community."
According to Dr. Andre Chough, president of McKeesport Hospital's medical-dental staff, "I see this joint effort with the university as another indicator of the hospital's commitment to physician integration and of stability for the future in continuing to provide excellent care to the community. It also shows a real desire on the hospital's part to establish firm relationships with our primary care providers."
This is not the first time McKeesport Hospital and the UPMC have been involved jointly. Since July, the two facilities have worked together through UPMC's Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic and the Psychiatric Center of McKeesport Hospital. In its first contractual arrangement, WPIC provides physician direction to McKeesport Hospital's in-house psychiatric center.
