Morgantown, W.Va.-based West Virginia University Health System signed a definitive agreement Aug. 6 with Fulton County Medical Center in McConnellsburg, Pa. for it to join the health system.
FCMC signed a nonbinding letter of intent in April to join WVU Health System, with the two parties working together since then to finalize a definitive agreement.
Under the agreement, WVU Health System has committed up to $17 million to modernize FCMC over the next seven years, which includes installing Epic’s EHR platform, according to an Aug. 6 news release.
“One of the anchors of WVU Medicine 2035 – our 10-year strategic plan – is to become the national leader in rural population management by transforming rural healthcare through innovative care models and applied academic medical center research,” Albert Wright, Jr., president and CEO of the WVU Health System, said in the release. “By bringing Fulton County Medical Center into our health system, we aim to deliver the same kind of world-class care to residents in Southcentral Pennsylvania.”
The 21-bed critical access hospital comprises more than 415 employees, an emergency department, cardiology, rehabilitation, a laboratory, diagnostic imaging services, home health, a community wellness center and a 67-bed nursing home.
WVU Health System comprises 25 hospitals, five institutes, 4,600 providers and 39,000 employees, the release said.
“The FCMC board of directors and executive team are excited to be one step closer to full affiliation with WVU Medicine,” Mike Makosky, president and CEO of Fulton County Medical Center, said in the release. “We look forward to completing the final steps, so we may begin fully integrating the enhanced patient services WVU Medicine will bring to our local communities.”
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