The boards of
Evergreen Healthcare, Kirkland, Wash., and
Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, approved a partnership.
The two will remain distinct entities and say the agreement won’t lead to layoffs, according to an e-mailed news release. Officials first announced the strategic partnership agreement in November 2011, and say it will help the groups to develop new care models. Evergreen Healthcare includes the governmental-run 227-bed Evergreen Hospital Medical Center and a physicians group. Virginia Mason Medical Center is a 248-bed hospital in Seattle.
The collaborative efforts will start with the groups’ cardiac and home care and hospice services with other collaborations in the pipeline. The two already use the same electronic health-record system.
