RWJBarnabas Health and St. Luke’s University Health Network announced Thursday a clinical affiliation agreement.
West Orange-based RWJBH and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania-based St. Luke’s said they signed a three-year, joint deal to provide patients in northwest New Jersey coordinated access to the clinical services, expertise and resources of both the nonprofit health care organizations.
“This agreement introduces innovative new opportunities for supporting local communities,” Barry H. Ostrowsky, CEO and president, RWJBarnabas Health, said. “We are excited to share expertise and resources, to learn from each other and to become more efficient in the delivery of care.”
The agreement is not a merger or acquisition, but a coordinated effort to promote access to health care programs in the state, the pair said.
“This innovative, forward-thinking collaboration would not have been realized without the leadership, support and encouragement of RWJBarnabas Health President and CEO Barry Ostrowsky and his outstanding leadership team. The RWJBarnabas-St. Luke’s partnership is a model for how two health care systems can cooperate for the common good. Working together, both organizations will be stronger, ensuring residents of Warren and Hunterdon counties enjoy greater access close home to the very best health care,” Rick Anderson, CEO and preisdent, St. Luke’s, said.
Plans include seeking opportunities for clinical integration, gaining access to medical records, creating evidence-based clinical programs, providing expanded educational opportunities, recruiting residents or fellows, collaborating research, and more.
