Philadelphia-based Jefferson and Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Valley Health Network completed their merger Aug. 1.
Here are 10 things to know about the combined system:
1. The combination creates one of the 15 largest nonprofit health systems in the U.S. with 32 hospitals and more than 700 sites of care.
2. Jefferson brings 18 hospitals to the combined system: 15 in Pennsylvania and three in New Jersey. LVHN brings 14 hospitals, all in Pennsylvania.
3. The combined system employs more than 65,000 people.
4. In fiscal 2023, Jefferson posted total revenues of $9.7 billion. It posted an operating loss of $78.5 million for the year ended June 30, 2023.
5. In fiscal 2023, LVHN posted total revenues of $4.1 billion. It posted an operating income of $10.4 million for the year ended June 30, 2023.
6. Jefferson and LVHN first shared plans to unite in December after signing a non-binding letter of intent. They signed a definitive agreement to merge in May.
7. Jefferson CEO Joseph Cacchione, MD, will serve as chief executive of the Jefferson enterprise. He joined Jefferson as CEO in September 2022 from St. Louis-based Ascension, where he served as executive vice president of clinical and network services.
8. LVHN president and CEO Brian Nester, DO, will serve as executive vice president and COO of the Jefferson enterprise and president of the legacy LVHN. He served as LHVN's president and CEO since 2014. He joined the health system in 1998 as chairman of the emergency department at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Muhlenberg in Bethlehem, Pa.
9. Patients in the region served by LVHN will soon have access to Jefferson Health Plans, the system's health insurance business.
10. Dr. Cacchione told The Reporter that LVHN will undergo some type of rebranding, but final decisions have not yet been made. He said the Lehigh name "will be preserved and will not go away. The Lehigh Valley name has a lot of brand equity, it’s a very important brand — one of the reasons for our whole plan."