Little Rock-based University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has finalized an affiliation with Pine Bluff, Ark.-based Jefferson Regional to strengthen access to care.
Five things to know:
1. UAMS and Jefferson Regional finalized a membership substitution agreement that makes the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees the corporate member of Jefferson Regional’s parent corporation, Jefferson Hospital Association, according to an Aug. 3 UAMS news release.
2. The affiliation is intended to expand access to specialized clinical resources, advanced technologies and shared operational efficiencies across southeast Arkansas.
3. The affiliation reflects a broader trend of standalone hospitals seeking partnerships amid mounting industry pressures.
“In recent years, we have seen hospitals across the country experience unprecedented challenges, and many of our fellow standalone hospitals are finding exciting opportunities in forging collaborations with other health systems,” Jefferson Regional President and CEO Brian Thomas said in the release. “An affiliation between Jefferson Regional and UAMS will enhance the efficiencies of caring for patients, provide more healthcare services to underserved populations, and allow us to pursue new opportunities to strengthen our campus.”
4. UAMS and Jefferson Regional have collaborated since 1972, when UAMS established its first residency program on the Jefferson Regional campus. The partnership has since educated more than 330 resident physicians.
5. Jefferson Regional is a community-owned health system licensed for 300 acute-care beds. Beyond its main hospital campus, the system includes wellness centers, physician practices and Jefferson Regional School of Nursing. It employs roughly 1,500 staff members and 140 on-staff physicians.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university and includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system. The organization has more than 3,500 students, 1,000 medical residents and about 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians.
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