Albany Medical Center, Saratoga Hospital Finalize Affiliation to Create Region’s Most Expansive Health Care System

FOR RELEASE:

Albany, N.Y., Jan. 4, 2017 – Leaders from Albany Medical Center and Saratoga Hospital today announced the finalization of an affiliation between the two organizations that will yield numerous benefits over time for residents of Saratoga and Albany counties, and the entire capital region.

The agreement, which has been in development for more than a year, was approved by the state Public Health and Health Planning Council and has now been finalized.

Albany Medical Center President and Chief Executive Officer James J. Barba said: “This partnership between Albany Med and Saratoga Hospital creates the opportunity for the rapid advancement of health care for residents of the capital region and beyond.  As our institutions join together in affiliation with Columbia Memorial Health, we are creating a regionally integrated, locally governed network to provide exceptionally high quality and comprehensive health care through the most expansive health care system in our region.  Together, our institutions will provide a strong health care system to meet the diverse health care needs of people throughout our region.

In 2013, Albany Medical Center and Saratoga Hospital joined to create Malta Med Emergent Care at Exit 12 on the Northway.  This facility offers services from board certified Albany Med emergency physicians 24 hours a day every day of the year, clinical support by Saratoga Hospital, and coordination of care with both facilities as appropriate.

Saratoga Hospital President and CEO Angelo Calbone said: “The time and commitment dedicated to finalizing this agreement ultimately aligns to a relatively simple concept: working together, we are best positioned to provide better, more efficient health care for our shared community. We have demonstrated the strength of our long-standing partnership with Albany Med over the past few years. Now, with an even broader foundation including Columbia Memorial Health, we can fully explore the new and exciting opportunities in front of us.

Albany Medical Center Senior Executive Vice President for the Integrated Health System Steven Frisch, M.D. said: “The partnership comes after the Board of Directors and leadership of Saratoga Hospital took significant and important steps to modernize its facilities and make investments in its professional staff to ensure easy access to the care they deliver.  We are proud to join them in offering the type of care that is appropriate for people of our region today, and an approach to care that will be needed to meet our region’s healthcare needs for many years to come.

The affiliation of Albany Med, Saratoga Hospital and Columbia Memorial Health will allow for improvements in the quality of care for consumers in the future through standardized protocols, easier transfer of information, coordination of care, the attraction of top professional talent, and other channels.  The agreements are structured to enhance the strengths of all three organizations and to enable a coordinated planning process that will identify additional synergies and opportunities as it evolves.  Importantly, the agreement will provide better access to primary and specialty care services for the broader region.

As with its agreement with Columbia Memorial Health, Albany Med’s agreement with Saratoga Hospital provides for each institution to retain its own distinct boards of directors/trustees, executive leadership teams, medical staffs and employees.

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About Albany Medical Center: Albany Medical Center, northeastern New York’s only academic health sciences center, is one of the largest private employers in the Capital Region. It incorporates the 734-bed Albany Medical Center Hospital, which offers the widest range of medical and surgical services in the region, and the Albany Medical College, which trains the next generation of doctors, scientists and other health care professionals, and also includes a biomedical research enterprise and the region’s largest physicians practice with more than 450 doctors. Albany Medical Center works with dozens of community partners to improve the region’s health and quality of life. For more information: www.amc.edu or www.facebook.com/albanymedicalcenter.

About Saratoga Hospital: Saratoga Hospital is the Saratoga region’s leading healthcare provider. The only acute-care facility in Saratoga County, the hospital has a medical staff of more than 450 physicians and other credentialed providers, offering care in a broad range of medical specialties. In keeping with its emphasis on quality, Saratoga Hospital was the first in the Capital Region to earn Magnet Designation for nursing excellence. Hospital facilities include: Saratoga Hospital main campus, Mollie Wilmot Radiation Oncology Center, Saratoga Community Health Center, Saratoga Hospital Center for Breast Care, Saratoga Hospital Center for Sleep Disorders, Saratoga Surgery Center, Wilton Medical Arts, practice offices and services at the Saratoga Medical Park at Malta, six primary care offices and five regional therapy centers across Saratoga County. Saratoga Hospital Medical Group, the hospital’s multispecialty physician practice, includes physicians in the following specialties: cardiology, dentistry, endocrinology, ENT, family medicine, hematology/oncology, internal medicine, neonatology, nephrology, neurology, occupational medicine, oncology, pain management, palliative care, physiatry, podiatry, primary care, psychiatry, pulmonary medicine, sleep disorders, surgery, and urology. For more information: www.saratogahospital.org or www.facebook.com/SaratogaHospital.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jeffrey Gordon, Albany Medical Center
518-262-3421
gordonj@mail.amc.edu

Peter Hopper, Saratoga Hospital
518-583-8679
phopper@saratogacare.org

04 Jan 2017