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Partnership With OhioHealth, University Medical Associates Approved By Board
By: WOUB Staff reports
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A partnership between two local medical groups was approved by the Ohio University Board of Trustees, which will consolidate the OhioHealth Athens Medical Associates and University Medical Associates.
The new organization, as announced by Trustee Chair David Wolfort, will be OhioHealth Physician Group Heritage College.
University Medical Associates has 35 physicians and four nurse practitioners serving patients in Athens. They are also the designated faculty practice plan and the teaching faculty at the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.
No changes are expected for patients, including physicians or locations of practices, according to a release by the Heritage College. The change is expected to be completed by May of this year.
“The intent is to improve local healthcare,” Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, OhioHealth Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer stated in the release. “By acting as a single group we’ll be better able to align services and coordinate patient care.”
The OhioHealth Physician Group Heritage College will now be the “designated faculty practice plan” for the Heritage College. Having a designated faculty practice plan is a requirement of accreditation, according to the release.