Pediatric Alliance Joins Allegheny Health Network - Region’s Largest Independent Pediatrics Group Employs 60+ Caregivers at 17 Practice Locations across Western PA
PITTSBURGH (PRWEB) January 16, 2019 -- Pediatric Alliance, one of western Pennsylvania’s largest independent pediatric physician groups, has joined Allegheny Health Network (AHN), officials of both organizations announced today. Effective March 1, 2019, the affiliation establishes a foundation in general pediatrics for AHN, bringing a team of more than 60 clinicians into the network, including 44 physicians. The group sees patients from birth through age 21 at 17 practice locations across the region.
“For more than two decades, the outstanding caregivers of Pediatric Alliance have provided exceptional care and comfort to thousands of children and their families in our community,” said Cynthia Hundorfean, AHN President and CEO. “We are thrilled at this opportunity to greatly expand and enhance the scope of our pediatrics program by uniting with such an established, experienced, and respected team of pediatric professionals.”
Formed in 1996, Pediatric Alliance has earned the highest level patient-centered medical home recognition by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). In addition to general pediatric care, the group provides specialty care services for asthma, allergy, and immunology and pediatric endocrinology.
“Pediatric Alliance has had the privilege of working closely with AHN for several years and we are extremely excited to formally join an organization that shares our values and commitment to providing high-quality, patient-centered care to children of all ages,” said Joseph Aracri, DO, a Pediatric Alliance physician for more than 20 years and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at AHN since 2014.
The affiliation with Pediatric Alliance is the latest milestone in AHN’s ongoing efforts to expand its services for women and children in the western Pennsylvania region. Just last week, West Penn Hospital unveiled a new $23 million Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) featuring all-private rooms and state-of-the-art treatment capabilities for premature and critically ill infants. In late December, the network opened a new facility and the region’s most comprehensive program dedicated to the treatment of women with post-partum depression and other pregnancy-related mood disorders.
AHN delivered more than 7,500 babies in 2018 at its four obstetrical hospitals, including West Penn, Forbes, Jefferson and Saint Vincent. The number represents a 60% increase in births over the past five years. The network will open its fifth obstetrics program in 2021 at the new AHN Wexford Hospital that is currently under construction.
AHN is also home to the Pediatric Orthopaedic Institute, one of the region’s leading multi-disciplinary programs for children, adolescents, and teenagers who suffer from orthopaedic and neuromuscular conditions.
“At AHN, we believe that the best healthcare is care that is delivered as close to home as possible, where it is more accessible and more convenient,” said Allan Klapper, MD, Chair, AHN Women and Children Institute. “Women and their families deserve nothing less, and with Pediatric Alliance as part of our network, we are better positioned than ever to deliver on that promise.”
Pediatric Alliance CEO James Troup has been appointed as Vice President of Pediatrics for AHN and will work with Dr. Aracri to drive the growth and success of the program.
Pediatric Alliance’s integration into AHN is expected to be seamless for patients and families. Those with questions about the transition can call 412-278-5100. The group will continue to provide newborn care to babies born at AHN’s Forbes, Jefferson and West Penn hospitals, as well as at non-AHN area hospitals.
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About the Allegheny Health Network
Allegheny Health Network (AHN.org), a Highmark Health company, is an integrated healthcare delivery system serving the greater Western Pennsylvania region. The Network is composed of eight hospitals, including Allegheny General Hospital, its flagship academic medical center in Pittsburgh, Allegheny Valley Hospital in Natrona Heights, Canonsburg Hospital in Canonsburg, Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, Jefferson Hospital in Jefferson Hills, Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie, West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh and Westfield Memorial Hospital in Westfield, NY. The Network provides patients with access to a complete spectrum of advanced medical services, including nationally recognized programs for primary and emergency care, cardiovascular disease, cancer care, orthopedic surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, women’s health, diabetes and more. It also is home to a comprehensive research institute; Health + Wellness Pavilions; an employed physician organization, home and community based health services and a group purchasing organization. The Network employs approximately 20,000 people, has more than 2,400 physicians on its medical staff and serves as a clinical campus for Drexel University College of Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine, and the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Doug Braunsdorf, Highmark Health, https://www.ahn.org/, 412.522.7112, [email protected]
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