Originally Released: June 26, 2000
University of Maryland Medical System:
Joan Shnipper 410-328-6776
Ellen Beth Levitt 410-328-8919
North Arundel Health System:
Kevin Murnane 410-787-4365
NORTH ARUNDEL JOINS UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MEDICAL SYSTEM
The North Arundel Health System will become part of the University of Maryland Medical System on July 1, according to an agreement signed today by the leaders of both institutions. The merger will strengthen both organizations, helping to ensure their success in the rapidly changing health care marketplace. The combined medical system will have annual gross patient revenue of nearly $900 million, 1,907 licensed beds, and more than 9,000 employees.
The agreement will result in an expansion and enhancement of existing medical programs for residents of Anne Arundel County and increased access to the University of Maryland Medical System for such specialized services as cancer care, organ transplants, cardiac surgery and neurosurgery. It also is expected to broaden relationships among physicians at both institutions and result in cost savings through consolidated purchasing contracts.
"This agreement will strengthen our position as a preeminent regional health care system and allow us to enhance the delivery of excellent patient care throughout Central Maryland," says Morton I. Rapoport, M.D., President and CEO of the University of Maryland Medical System.
"We plan to support program growth at North Arundel in a variety of areas, including women's services, heart disease and cancer care, as well as geriatrics, pediatric services and diabetes care," adds Dr. Rapoport.
"We are extremely excited about our relationship with the University of Maryland Medical System," remarked James R. Walker, President and CEO of North Arundel Health System and Hospital. "This will make us a comprehensive community hospital that will allow our area residents to stay in their community to receive the full gamut of medical services."
The North Arundel Health System is comprised of two hospitals: North Arundel Hospital, a 329-bed community hospital in Glen Burnie, and the Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital, a 102-bed pediatric rehabilitation and specialty care hospital in Baltimore City. North Arundel also includes Special Beginnings Birth and Women's Center in Arnold, Sunrise Independent and Assisted Living Center in Severna Park, and Nighttime Pediatrics North, in Pasadena. The Health System also offers Healthline, which is a nurse advice and physician referral service.
The University of Maryland Medical System is a private, not-for-profit teaching hospital system that provides a complete range of inpatient and outpatient services to more than 300,000 people each year. Major components are the University of Maryland Medical Center (which includes the University Hospital, Greenebaum Cancer Center, the Shock Trauma Center and University of Maryland Hospital for Children), as well as Kernan and Deaton Hospitals and the Maryland General Health Systems. The medical system, which has 6,500 employees, also has primary and specialty care sites throughout Central Maryland.
"Anne Arundel County is a growing suburban area and an important health care market for us," says Frank P. Bramble, Chairman of the University of Maryland Medical System Board of Directors. "The merger will give residents of that area access to expanded medical services in their own community, as well as stronger connections to specialized health care for the most complex and serious medical needs."
Bramble adds, "More than half of Anne Arundel County residents currently leave the county when they need hospital care. This merger will make it more convenient to receive specialized hospital care very close to home."
"This is a monumental day in North Arundel Hospital's history," said Lysbeth Courtney, chair of the health system and hospital's board of directors. "Our community will be extremely excited as we expand our services and have the world-renowned medical expertise of the University of Maryland Medical System associated with us. This relationship will make North Arundel one of the best community hospitals in Maryland with some of the most sophisticated equipment in Anne Arundel County."
Under the agreement, the North Arundel Health System management team will remain in place. The medical staffs of North Arundel Hospital and Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital will remain separate and independent, and the respective hospitals' boards of directors will be responsible for oversight. A medical advisory committee with equal representation from the University of Maryland Medical Center and North Arundel Hospital will be formed to address clinical issues.
The University of Maryland Medical System and North Arundel Health System have developed a business plan that focuses on strategies to develop and expand a variety of programs and services for residents of Arundel County.
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This page was last updated on: July 19, 2011.