Arlington-based Texas Health Resources is adding 27 First Choice Emergency Rooms to its healthcare network in North Texas, according to the Star-Telegram.
Texas Health Resources on Wednesday announced a joint venture with Lewisville, Texas-based Adeptus Health Care, which operates First Choice. Under the agreement, Texas Health Resources will have a controlling interest in the venture. The health system will also rebrand its 27 new First Choice ERs as Texas Health ERs and remove the First Choice name by the end of 2016, according to the report.
The JV with Texas Health Resources will extend network contracts with all major insurers to the freestanding ERs, which will allow more consumers to pay in-network rates for care, according to the report. The affiliation will also enable faster direct admissions to Texas Health Resources hospitals for patients in need of more acute care.
The First Choice managers at the 27 ERs joining Texas Health Resources will stay in place, Barclay E. Berdan, CEO of Texas Health Resources said, according to the report. "We think they've done an extremely good job operating those emergency rooms, so we will continue to let their team operate them," Mr. Berdan said, according to the report.
The First Choice ERs are equipped with a full radiology suite, including CT scanner, digital X-ray and ultrasound, in addition to on-site laboratory capabilities.