Finger Lakes Health, a two-hospital system headquartered in Geneva, N.Y., will join the University of Rochester Medical Center Aug. 1.
The transaction will expand access to high-quality services in the communities served by Finger Lakes Health, which includes eastern Ontario, Seneca, Yates and Wayne counties. Finger Lakes and URMC will develop a plan for maintaining and expanding patient services in the Finger Lakes service area, reporting progress to the state attorney general annually for five years.
URMC will also work with Finger Lakes to expand access to primary and specialty care services; help implement an EHR system used by all UR Medicine affiliates; improve operational efficiencies through group purchasing; and help recruit physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
Jose Acevedo, MD, Finger Lakes president and CEO, highlighted the advantages of joining a health system that has built strong affiliations with other rural hospitals in upstate New York — at a time when many rural hospitals are financially fragile and at risk of closure.
"This connection to one of the nation's leading academic medical centers will build upon established clinical partnerships, increase access to specialty care and enhance our ability to serve our communities for generations to come," Dr. Acevedo said.
Finger Lakes employs about 1,350 physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and staff members who will join more than 27,000 employees at URMC and its UR Medicine affiliates. The transaction increases the number of hospitals under the URMC umbrella to nine.