Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Geisinger’s Janet Weis Children’s Hospital announced an affiliation agreement aimed at improving healthcare delivery.
The affiliation agreement will allow the organizations to share expertise and technology infrastructure.
“The approach will allow families to stay as close to home as possible while receiving nationally acclaimed care,” said Frank Maffei, M.D., chair of Geisinger’s Department of Pediatrics, in a statement. “We are committed to providing the full spectrum of pediatric care to support the health and well-being of children in our collective communities.”
The two hospitals are already collaborating on various clinical areas that include cardiac surgery, radiology and laboratory services.
“The alliance will provide access to [Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s] expertise in rare and complex diseases, while harnessing Geisinger’s well-established outpatient general and specialty pediatric programs and inpatient services at Janet Weis Children’s Hospital,” according to a release on the deal.
The deal comes nearly six months after a separate agreement by Geisinger triggered a federal lawsuit.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) sued last August to block Geisinger’s “partial acquisition” of Evangelical Community Hospital.
DOJ said the agreement, finalized back in 2019, would lead to higher prices and lower quality as well as reduced access to quality hospital services.
The arrangement with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, however, does not involve any financial transactions.