Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles announced plans Wednesday to enter into an affiliation agreement with Torrance (Calif.) Memorial Medical Center, a not-for-profit hospital.
Under terms of the agreement, Cedars-Sinai and Torrance will collaborate on coordination of care and access to services. The affiliation will focus on increasing access to clinical trials and medical research as well as sharing resources.
The proposed affiliation needs to be approved by state regulatory agencies and the review process is expected to take about six months. If it's given the green light, the venture will function under a new parent organization with a new board of directors.
Both organizations will remain independent and continue to have its own medical staff and board.
This is not the first time the two institutions have collaborated. Cedars-Sinai advised Torrance on how to develop a telestroke program.
Torrance Memorial includes a 470-bed hospital, several outpatient centers, an accountable care organization and a multispecialty physician group.
Cedars-Sinai operates its flagship hospital as well as several urgent care and specialty care centers throughout Los Angeles. It also has a major research and education arm, with more than 1,500 research projects and 473 medical residents and fellows.
"While both Torrance Memorial and Cedars-Sinai have strong track records for serving the region, the governance structure of the proposed affiliation is designed to foster collaboration and share resources to further enhance those capabilities to benefit patients and the community," Cedars-Sinai CEO Thomas Priselac said in a statement.