Two medical institutions are better than one. In a move designed to enhance access for patients in Baltimore and northern Maryland counties to a range of clinical specialty programs, Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Greater Baltimore Medical Center on Friday officially joined forces.
The two institutions entered into a master-affiliation agreement with the intent of working together and offering varied clinical services in several areas, with cooperation in cardiology services and pediatric surgery already under way.
“This is a significant day for the communities and patients in our region,” GBMC President and CEO Laurence M. Merlis said at a news conference.
“It?s a great move for the present, as well as the future,” said Ronald R. Peterson, president of Johns Hopkins Hospital. “Bold moves are necessary to make sure Marylanders have access to quality patient care.”
Beginning Friday, Johns Hopkins took direction of cardiovascular services at GBMC, meaning Hopkins physicians will manage GBMC?s cardiac-care unit, oversee its cardiology services in its emergency department and supervise heart-related inpatient and outpatient testing.
The institutions are also collaborating pediatric-surgery efforts as Greater Baltimore?s patient capacity for surgery will expand, while patients with complex needs will be referred to Johns Hopkins.
GBMC opted to affiliate with Hopkins because both institutions had future expectations that were “aligned and realistic,” said William H. Conkling Jr., chairman of the board for GBMC.
“This is a terrific day for GBMC,” Conkling said. “Our board is very supportive of the strengths of this affiliation.”
The agreement, signed by Merlis and Peterson on Friday, calls for a five-year affiliation with two successive automatic two-year renewals.
GBMC?s 292-bed Baltimore County facility serves nearly 22,000 inpatients annually and handles about 60,000 emergency-room visits. The medical center has about 3,000 full-time employees.
Johns Hopkins Medicine comprises three hospitals, including the more than 1,000-bed Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, which has been ranked the best hospitalin the country 17 years in a row by U.S News & World Report. The $4 billion JHM enterprise is one of the largest employers in the state.
