- Why did Princeton Health choose to join Penn Medicine?
- Did Penn Medicine purchase Princeton Health?
- Does Princeton Health still exist?
- How does joining Penn Medicine benefit our patients and the community?
- How have other communities fared when their healthcare systems joined Penn Medicine?
- Will this partnership affect my ability to receive services through Medicare or my private insurance plan?
- Will the partnership impact my medical records?
- Will donations to Princeton Health be affected by the partnership?
Q. Why did Princeton Health choose to join Penn Medicine?
Princeton Health is committed to serving the healthcare needs of people in our communities by providing accessible, high quality, coordinated care and services that are reasonably priced and to do so long into the future. Beginning in 2013, our Board of Trustees and senior management engaged in a strategic planning process that thoroughly analyzed the current and future healthcare environment and compared the benefits of remaining independent versus partnering with another organization. Physicians and experts in healthcare management, planning and finance provided input throughout this process. Ultimately, the Board of Trustees unanimously agreed that the organization could best fulfill its mission by seeking a partnership. We considered 17 potential partners. Penn Medicine stood out as the best fit.
Recognized nationally and internationally for excellence in patient care, education and research, Penn Medicine consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, which consistently ranks in U.S. News & World Report’s top five medical schools and among the nation’s five leading medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding. Forbes ranked Penn Medicine at No. 7 on the magazine’s 2017 list of America’s Best Employers.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System includes The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; Chester County Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Wissahickon Hospice; and Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Princeton Health and its divisions are now part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
Q. Did Penn Medicine purchase Princeton Health?
No. Penn Medicine and Princeton Health are nonprofit corporations. They are not privately owned and cannot be sold. All excess revenue earned by our enterprise stays with the organization. Nothing is paid out. The legal term for the Penn Medicine-Princeton Health partnership is membership substitution, which is the most common structure used for joining nonprofit health systems. Members of a nonprofit corporation are similar to shareholders of a for-profit corporation. In a membership substitution, the parent nonprofit corporation—in this case Penn Medicine—becomes the sole member of a subsidiary nonprofit corporation. Under this structure, our Board of Trustees remains in place with significant decision-making authority. Princeton Health and its divisions—including Princeton Medical Center, Princeton House Behavioral Health, Princeton HomeCare and Princeton Medicine Physicians—will be managed as they were previously, except that they now operate within Penn Medicine.
Q. Does Princeton Health still exist?
Yes, but under a new name: Penn Medicine Princeton Health. The hospital—formerly Princeton Medical Center—is now Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center. Princeton House Behavioral Health and Princeton HomeCare will retain their names while adding the Penn Medicine brand. The employed physicians group—formerly Princeton Medicine Physicians—is now Penn Medicine Princeton Medicine Physicians Physicians. Click here for new names and logos.Signage at locations across the system will be changed to reflect these new names over the next few months. We will rebrand our publications and other materials over the next 60 days.
Q. How does joining Penn Medicine benefit our patients and the community?
Our health system has been a vital resource in central New Jersey since 1919, and we have maintained a special relationship with the community as our hospital grew into a state-of-the-art teaching hospital and we evolved into a comprehensive system that includes behavioral health and addiction treatment, rehabilitation, home care and hospice, fitness and wellness centers and a primary and specialty care physician network.
Joining Penn Medicine will help ensure our long-term success as we navigate a dynamic and uncertain healthcare environment. Both organizations are clinically and financially strong. Collectively, they become even stronger. The partnership will preserve and build upon the things we already do well and expand our capabilities by affiliating with a world-class academic healthcare system.
We will continue providing our patients quality care close to home and give them an added benefit: easy access to the latest medical breakthroughs, clinical trials, cutting-edge technologies and specialized clinical expertise—both here and elsewhere in the Penn Medicine system. Physicians and staff will have 24-hour access to the Penn Transfer Center, a one-call system to expedite patient transfers to Penn Medicine hospitals. We would use this feature for inpatients at our hospital and individuals in the Emergency Department who require specialized care and want to go to a Penn Medicine location.
Q. How have other communities fared when their healthcare systems joined Penn Medicine?
In other communities where Penn Medicine partnered with a local hospital or healthcare system, the partnership has improved access, enhanced clinical capabilities, increased utilization and improved efficiency.
Q. Will this partnership affect my ability to receive services through Medicare or my private insurance plan?
We will continue to participate in Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance plans.
Q. Will the partnership impact my medical records?
Your medical records remain accessible through your provider and our Health Information Management Department.
Q. Will donations to Princeton Health be affected by the partnership?
The Princeton Medical Center Foundation will continue to use all donor-restricted gifts in accordance with the donor’s intent. Money raised locally will be used locally unless otherwise specified.