Three independent physician groups loosely affiliated under the Newton, Mass.-based Atrius Health network will merge next month to become a unified nonprofit with one management team, according to The Boston Globe.
The deal takes effect Jan. 1, effectively merging Newton, Mass.-based Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Dedham (Mass.) Medical Associates and Quincy, Mass.-based Granite Medical Group. After the merger, 750 physicians, 650,000 patients and a home care agency will operate in the Atrius Health network, according to the report.
The merger occurs as three other physician groups split from Atrius, taking more than 400 physicians with them. The 72-physician South Shore Medical Center based in Norwell, Mass., left to focus on its own service area. The other two groups, Worcester, Mass.-based Reliant Medical Group with 273 physicians and Southborough, Mass.-based Southboro Medical Group with 58 physicians, left to pursue a merger together, according to the report. The process of merging with Atrius would've taken too long and distracted from their work, a Reliant executive told The Globe.
Even after the split, Atrius Health remains the largest independent physician group in Massachusetts, according to interim Atrius CEO Daniel Burnes, MD. Dr. Burnes believes the merger will help Atrius lower expenses, according to the report. It will also give the network the dexterity to navigate the changing healthcare environment. Atrius has plans to invest in IT and build a $10 million care delivery innovation center, Dr. Burnes told The Globe.
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