AMSTERDAM — St. Mary’s Healthcare has acquired Amsterdam Family Practice as part of the organization’s ongoing efforts to strengthen and expand primary care services.
“We’re thrilled to have the six providers joining us. They bring with them years of experience and expertise,” said Jeffrey Methven, president and CEO of St. Mary’s Healthcare. “Having a robust primary care network gives us better opportunities to improve population health within the communities we serve.”
The acquisition, effective Saturday, followed around a year of discussions between partners at Amsterdam Family Practice and leaders at St. Mary’s about deepening the long-standing relationship between the organizations.
“Our partners and providers at Amsterdam Family Practice view this as an exciting opportunity for Amsterdam Family Practice and St. Mary’s to provide the comprehensive care that can have a powerful, positive impact on long-term health and quality of life,” said Melissa Helm, practice manager at Amsterdam Family Practice, in a prepared statement.
Little is expected to change for patients at Amsterdam Family Practice as they continue seeing their normal physicians and nurse practitioners at their existing office at 119 Holland Circle Drive. St. Mary’s plans to continue operating the medical office, which the organization bought as the main transaction acquiring the practice. The purchase price was not immediately available.
“This is a practice that has been very successful. We want to capitalize on that success, we’re not looking to change things overnight,” Methven said.
Amsterdam Family Practice has served Fulton and Montgomery counties for over 35 years. Providers are Dr. William Forlano, Dr. Robert Droege, Dr. Walter Cummings, Dr. George Weis and Family Nurse Practitioners Chelsea Sohns and Nichole Santiago.
Additions will likely be made in the future to the roster of providers under the umbrella of St. Mary’s. The acquisition should aid recruitment and retention efforts as primary care practitioners have become less interested in working for private practices, according to Methven.
“We want to support the practice collaboratively with our providers to make sure they are able to successfully deliver care in an environment they enjoy,” Methven said. “I think there are things we can glean from this practice and we’ll look to their expertise, their leadership, to help us build our network.”
Plans to maintain and expand primary care services will ensure new and existing patients have long-term access to providers. The acquisition will also streamline referrals for the practice’s patients within the St. Mary’s network for specialized health care needs.
“They are going to have access to additional services that St. Mary’s can offer them in a more seamless and coherent manner,” Methven said.
St. Mary’s Healthcare now includes over 200 active providers in 20 primary and specialty care fields. The not-for-profit acute care hospital with two campuses in Amsterdam also operates 13 extension clinics throughout the region. The organization averages around 340,000 outpatient visits each year. Amsterdam Family Practices sees over 20,000 visits each year.
Reach Ashley Onyon at [email protected] or @AshleyOnyon on Twitter.
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