Hackensack Meridian and JFK cement merger
By: Alex Kacik with contributions from Eb LeMaster
(Modern Healthcare online)
Hackensack Meridian Health and JFK Health finalized their merger to create a combined entity with 16 hospitals throughout New Jersey, the companies announced Wednesday.
Executives of the Edison, N.J.-based systems said the marriage would allow them to expand patient access and better deliver preventive healthcare. The merger will bolster a combined ambulatory network of 160 facilities, reflecting the importance of more convenient outpatient settings where patients can get more affordable and efficient treatment. The combined organization, which has minimal overlap in services and geography, also can expand its neurological and cancer service lines, executives said.
“We are in a major pivot to population health and knew we needed scale to meet the needs of the community, and Hackensack fit that order,” Raymond Fredericks, CEO of JFK Health, told Modern Healthcare in May after a definitive agreement was signed. “This will help us continue to keep a strong, robust hospital in Edison and offer a great compendium of services close to our residents’ homes.”