Geisinger Health System https://www.geisinger.org and Highmark Inc. www.highmark.com have signed a letter of intent to create a clinical joint venture to provide high-value, high-quality community-based care and better choices for patients to receive care.
The joint venture would enable the two organizations to explore creating a clinical network that is patient-focused, physician-oriented, and community-based in north central Pennsylvania. The clinical network would be accessible for both Highmark and Geisinger Health Plan members including members in Medicare Advantage Plans.
The initial focus of the joint venture will involve developing an innovative, high-quality, affordable model of care featuring a network of community-based sites including a comprehensive health campus.
In Southwest Texas, Emerus Holdings, Inc., www.emerus.com operating a network of value-based micro-hospitals has signed an agreement with Memorial Hermann Health System www.memorialhermann.org to establish a new joint venture partnership. Through the partnership, the Emerus facilities in Tomball and Sugar Land will operate under the Memorial Hermann name.
Memorial Hermann is a fully integrated health system with more than 250 care delivery sites throughout the Greater Houston area while Emerus is the first and largest operator of micro-hospitals in Texas which opened in Tomball and was followed by the Sugar Land location. Until now, these were the only Emerus facilities not affiliated with a major health system in the Houston area.
The Emerus micro hospitals differ from urgent care clinics since micro hospitals provide emergency centers with additional services especially geared to the patients’ convenience. The goal is to offer the same or most of the services as other hospitals since the services at micro facilities include primary care, diagnostic imaging, and lab tests.
What sets these micro-hospital facilities apart are shorter waiting times with these hospitals located closer to patients’ neighborhoods and homes. Micro hospitals although smaller in size must meet all the same federal and state licensing plus regulatory requirements as a traditional hospital.
Once the joint venture arrangement takes place, the micro hospitals will feature access to the Memorial Hermann network that will allow for care coordination, consultation, and seamless transition across the care continuum.