UC Irvine Health in Orange, Calif., and MemorialCare Health System in Fountain Valley, Calif., have entered into an affiliation agreement to enhance primary care in the region through new primary care health centers.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. UC Irvine Health and MemorialCare will each remain independent, as the transaction is not a sale or acquisition.
Officials said the partnership will mostly focus around the health centers, which will offer individual and family health services, urgent care and basic preventive care, according to a news release. UC Irvine primary care physicians will staff the health centers, which will be located in areas with primary care physician shortages, and they will also become in-network providers under MemorialCare's health plan contracts. The MemorialCare Medical Foundation will help with the development of the centers. No timeline was given for construction or opening of the health centers.
Health information technology is also a key part of the collaboration. UC Irvine and MemorialCare will integrate their electronic health record systems to "ensure coordinated care and real-time access to patients' histories and medical information," according to the release.
Barry Arbuckle, PhD, president and CEO of MemorialCare, and Terry Belmont, CEO of UC Irvine Medical Center, praised the partnership, saying their local communities will benefit from the affiliation of two "mission-driven systems, both with excellent reputations and strong financial performance."
MemorialCare includes six hospitals, two medical groups, an independent practice association and several outpatient centers throughout Southern California. UC Irvine Health, part of University of California Health, includes the 412-bed academic medical center and several ambulatory and specialty clinics.
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