Health Quest and Western Connecticut Health Network to Combine and Form New Healthcare System

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Western Connecticut Health Network

Mar 28, 2018, 15:30 ET


LAGRANGEVILLE, N.Y., and DANBURY, Conn. (PRWEB) March 28, 2018 -- Two healthcare systems that serve residents in New York and Connecticut are about to combine to create a new innovative health system.

Health Quest Systems Inc. and Western Connecticut Health Network have entered into an agreement to create a new health system to provide community members across the Hudson Valley of New York and western Connecticut with more convenient, accessible and affordable care.

Health Quest is a four-hospital system based in LaGrangeville, New York. Western Connecticut Health Network is based in Danbury, Connecticut, and includes three hospitals. The combined system will serve 1.5 million residents across the two states and include seven hospitals, in addition to 2,600 aligned physicians and more than 12,000 employees across a full continuum of care. Projected combined revenues of the system are $2.4 billion.

“Sharing similar missions and values, our organizations are uniting to create an expanded, patient-centered health system that accelerates the change from sick-care to wellness,” said John Murphy, MD, president and CEO of Western Connecticut Health Network. “We will remain cornerstones in our communities dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality care and will have the depth, breadth and talent to advance the health and well-being of those we serve.”

“By joining together, we will expand our reach and enhance our position in today’s consumer-driven environment, helping people optimize their health, prevent disease and manage chronic conditions,” said Robert Friedberg, president and CEO of Health Quest. “The combined health system will help bring new programs and services to our communities.”

As is customary, the combination of the two systems requires approval from multiple governmental entities. After receiving all necessary approvals, the new organization is expected to launch sometime in 2019. Until then, both organizations will continue to operate as independent entities. For now, the systems and hospitals will retain their names and corporate offices will be maintained in Connecticut and New York.

Once approved, Murphy will serve as CEO of the newly combined organization and Friedberg will serve as president. The new system board of directors will have equal representation — eight members from Health Quest’s board and eight members from Western Connecticut Health Network’s board.

The new system will remain a nonprofit and carry forward its commitment to community health and wellness, and most importantly, continue to provide care to anyone who walks through its doors regardless of their ability to pay.

It is further expected that the combined system will be able to enhance quality, population health, accountable care, telehealth, medical education and the use of data analytics to enhance patient outcomes.

“The new network will help sustain our commitment to provide affordable, quality care people need at locations they can easily access. For our patients, it will mean greater access to specialists and treatment options — close to home. New programs and services will be introduced over time and new specialty physicians recruited to ensure that members of our communities have necessary services and do not need to leave the area for healthcare,” Murphy said.

“As a nonprofit organization, we will continue to reinvest into our system to fund new clinical programs and services, facilities, advanced technology, new equipment and research — all to benefit our communities,” Friedberg said.

Once combined, the new system will include seven hospitals:

Other affiliates of each system include:

Hear more from Dr. Murphy and Robert Friedberg in this short video.

For more information about Health Quest, visit healthquest.org. For more information about Western Connecticut Health Network, visit wchn.org.

About Health Quest
Health Quest is a family of integrated nonprofit hospitals and healthcare professionals in the Hudson Valley and northwest Connecticut. Health Quest combines talented physicians, state-of-the-art technology and compassionate caregivers dedicated to providing quality care across a variety of service lines, including Neurosciences, Oncology, Cardiovascular, Women/Children’s and Orthopedics.

Health Quest has a network of convenient locations throughout Columbia, Dutchess, Ulster, Orange, Putnam and northern Westchester counties in New York as well as western Connecticut, including four award-winning hospitals — Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck, Putnam Hospital Center in Carmel, Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Conn. and Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie — plus multiple Health Quest Medical Practice primary care and specialty locations, two Urgent Care locations and affiliates including the Thompson House, a 100-bed skilled nursing facility on the Northern Dutchess Hospital campus, Health Quest Home Care and The Heart Center, a leading provider of cardiology services in the region.

About Western Connecticut Health Network
Western Connecticut Health Network is the region’s premier, patient-centered health care organization serving residents of western Connecticut and adjacent New York. The organization is anchored by three nationally recognized hospitals, Danbury Hospital, New Milford Hospital and Norwalk Hospital, and their affiliated organizations. The continuum of care offered includes numerous Western Connecticut Medical Group medical and sub-specialty practices, home health care services, a nationally renowned biomedical research institute, the Danbury Hospital & New Milford Hospital Foundation, the Norwalk Hospital Foundation and other affiliates. For more information, visit wchn.org. Share your comments with us at Facebook.com/DanburyHospital, Facebook.com/NewMilfordHospital and Facebook.com/NorwalkHospital.

Andrea Rynn, Western Connecticut Health Network, https://www.westernconnecticuthealthnetwork.org/, 203-739-7919, [email protected]