DANVILLE, Pa. — Geisinger Health System has entered an agreement to become part of a new nonprofit health organization.
Geisinger and Kaiser Permanente announced the new partnership in a release on Wednesday.
Geisinger will become the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit created by Kaiser Permanente.
Officials say they hope the move will expand access to care in more communities nationwide.
"Where we are able to continue all of the great things that we do, but now the pivot here is enhancing and augmenting. So, it takes everything that people love and are familiar with with Geisinger and builds on that," said Dr. Jaewon Ryu, president and CEO of Geisinger Health.
A letter to Geisinger employees indicates that they will remain as Geisinger employees and day-to-day operations will remain the same.
"The operating brand is still Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine or Geisinger College of Health Sciences. At the same time, it's still Geisinger Health Plan or GHP. The operations of those stay local."
Dr. Ryu wants to reassure patients that there won't be any changes to their healthcare.
"We're able to continue all the great things that we do, but now the pivot here is enhancing and augmenting. So, it takes everything people are familiar with and love about Geisinger and builds on that."
The move still needs regulatory approval, but if all goes smoothly, Geisinger will become a part of the new organization through the acquisition.
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