Cleveland-based MetroHealth System has joined Ohio's largest clinically integrated network and hired more than 40 primary care physicians to ensure patients have access to care as Akron, Ohio-based HealthSpan Physicians dissolves at the end of March.
The 40 new physicians will come on board April 1 and an additional 25 specialists are expected to join shortly thereafter, according to MetroHealth.
"We are very pleased to welcome these physicians to MetroHealth," MetroHealth CEO Akram Boutros, MD, said in a statement. "They are closely aligned with our mission of building a healthier community. Their experience in population health and commitment to their patients will be enormously beneficial to increase access, improve quality and transform care."
MetroHealth joined the CIN, called Advanced Health Select, to become a preferred provider for HealthSpan's Northeast Ohio Members. The CIN was jointly created by Cincinnati-based Mercy Health and Akron, Ohio-based Summa Health to improve chronic care management and lower care costs.
"The advantage of an integrated care network is that it enables collaboration among members to improve quality, efficiency and cost effectiveness for all patients within the network," Dr. Boutros said in a statement. "Like MetroHealth, Mercy and Summa are mission-driven. We look forward to collaborating with them so we can share best practices in patient care and wellness."
The system also plans to add services at several HealthSpan facilities to improve access to care for Cuyahoga County residents and smooth the transition for HealthSpan members in Cleveland Heights, Parma, Bedford and Rocky River.
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