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Franciscan, University of Chicago Medicine announce partnership
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1 hour ago • Times Staff

The University of Chicago Medicine and Franciscan Alliance have announced a regional partnership that will boost access to primary and specialty care and clinical research.

The affiliation will put the academic medical center in cooperation with Franciscan's hospitals in Northwest Indiana, including Franciscan St. Margaret Health hospitals in Hammond and Dyer and Franciscan St. Anthony Health hospitals in Crown Point and Michigan City.

“By combining the world-class tertiary and quaternary care and research capabilities of the University of Chicago Medicine with Franciscan Alliance’s extensive network of community-based hospitals and ambulatory centers, we will enhance patient care locally and provide seamless access and continuity for patients needing care at any level,” said Kevin Leahy, Franciscan Alliance’s president and chief executive officer, in a news release.

Dr. Kenneth Polonsky, executive vice president for medical affairs at the University of Chicago and dean of the Biological Sciences Division and the Pritzker School of Medicine, said the goal is to provide a coordinated system of value-based care for patients across the region.

“This partnership brings together two health care systems that share both a dedication to excellence in patient care and a desire to develop new models of care in a rapidly changing health care marketplace,” he said in a news release.