Building on an existing partnership, MetroHealth and University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's are collaborating to bring high-quality pediatric specialty care to more patients, according to a news release.
The two systems say they are working together to enhance MetroHealth's foundation of care with the expertise of UH Rainbow. The latest agreement, which goes into effect later this summer, focuses on delivering acute and specialty services in pediatric inpatient and intensive care units, as well as extending to pediatric specialty care through MetroHealth's network, including outpatient surgical and medical specialty programs, according to the release.
"This is a wonderful collaboration between two health systems who are committed to doing what is best for our most vulnerable neighbors," Dr. Akram Boutros, MetroHealth president and CEO, said in a provided statement. "MetroHealth patients will be able to tap into Rainbow's expertise to provide the highest quality of pediatric specialty care. MetroHealth is relentlessly working on meeting the needs of our community, and this collaboration is another example of that."
Through a collaboration that first began in 2019, UH began offering pediatric specialty services at MetroHealth, including, according to the release: pediatric radiology, general surgery, nephrology, cardiology, urology and gastroenterology. UH Rainbow physicians offer these services at MetroHealth's main campus, complementing MetroHealth's current pediatric services.
The collaboration has enhanced access to pediatric specialty care in the community in the past two years, said Patricia DePompei, president of UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital and UH MacDonald Women's Hospital, in the release. She added that the expansion builds upon the foundation of collaborative, patient-centered care.
The collaboration enables access to the next level of care for patients in the MetroHealth system and allows clinicians to be part of a large and diverse program while delivering care to patients in their community, close to home, according to the release.
"This expansion reflects our two institutions' shared focus to improve the health and wellbeing of the community we serve and educate the next generation of clinicians," UH CEO Dr. Cliff Megerian said in a provided statement. "This is an exciting step in our growing collaboration and the future of healthcare in Northeast Ohio."
This story first appeared in our sister publication, Crain's Cleveland Business.
