Dignity Health, UCSF Health Announce Bay Area Collaboration

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dignity Health and UCSF Health have formalized an affiliation that will combine the best of academic medicine and community-based care, increasing access to high-quality, affordable care and improving the overall health care experience for patients in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The affiliation will bring UCSF Health's academic medical center expertise to three Dignity Health hospitals in the Bay Area: Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City, and Saint Francis Memorial Hospital and St. Mary's Medical Center in San Francisco. The organizations also have signed a Letter of Intent for physicians at Dignity Health Medical Group Sequoia and at Dignity Health Medical Group Saint Francis/St. Mary's, both services of Dignity Health Medical Foundation, to collaborate with UCSF clinical faculty in sharing best practices and improving access, quality, efficiency and coordination of care for shared patients. In addition, these three Dignity Health hospitals have joined the Canopy Health accountable care network, to provide a strong continuum of care as patients' health needs transition between primary and specialty care.

"Health care works best when we collaborate to offer the best thinking and the latest medical advances to our patients," said Shelby Decosta, senior vice president and chief strategy officer for UCSF Health. "Dignity Health's focus on excellent care, as well as the humanity of that care in a community setting, is the perfect balance for UCSF Health's depth of knowledge and specialty services. Together, we can draw upon each other's expertise for quality and service improvements, and best practices, and to provide specialty care with shorter wait times and a better patient experience."

This new affiliation will enhance medical, surgical and related health care services in the Bay Area by bringing together UCSF's and Dignity Health's expertise, while providing patients with a more seamless experience between primary and specialized care in a community hospital setting.

"UCSF Health is an excellent partner in the Bay Area, and we are looking forward to a collaboration that provides increased patient access to high-quality care," said Todd Strumwasser, MD, senior vice president of operations for Dignity Health Bay Area. "We are pleased to welcome UCSF physicians to our community hospitals, and offer patients a continuum of care never before available in the Bay Area."

The alliance brings together the two longest-serving health providers in San Francisco, and reflects a long-standing and evolving relationship between Dignity Health and UCSF Health – two health systems known for their clinical excellence and missions to provide quality, affordable care to all, including the underserved. Dignity Health and UCSF Health have previously collaborated to improve pediatric burn care, acute rehabilitation, and cardiac arrhythmia, among other conditions.

About Dignity Health
Dignity Health, one of the nation's largest health care systems, is a 22-state network of more than 9,000 physicians, 62,000 employees, and 400 care centers, including hospitals, urgent and occupational care, imaging centers, home health, and primary care clinics. Headquartered in San Francisco, Dignity Health is dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality, and affordable patient-centered care with special attention to the poor and underserved. In FY16, Dignity Health provided $2.2 billion in charitable care and services. In the Bay Area, Dignity Health includes four hospitals, 19 Dignity Health Medical Foundation clinics, and nine Dignity Health-GoHealth Urgent Care Centers. For more information, please visit our website at www.dignityhealth.org and www.dignityhealth.org/bayarea. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

About UCSF Health
UCSF Health includes UCSF Medical Center, which is ranked among the top 10 hospitals nationwide, as well as UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals and additional affiliates throughout the Bay Area. Recognized for innovative treatments, advanced technology, collaboration among health care professionals and scientists, and a highly compassionate patient care team, these hospitals serve as the academic medical center of the University of California, San Francisco, which is world-renowned for its biomedical research. UCSF Health's nationally preeminent programs include cancer, children's health, the brain and nervous system, organ transplantation, and women's health. It operates as a self-supporting enterprise within UCSF and generates its own revenues to cover the operating costs of providing patient care. Visit www.ucsfhealth.org. Follow UCSF Medical Center on Facebook or on Twitter.

SOURCE Dignity Health

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