Sources:

UCSF:
Karin Rush-Monroe (415) 502-6397 (NEWS)
Karin.Rush-Monroe@ucsf.edu
www.ucsf.edu
@KarinRushMonroe

John Muir Health:
Ben Drew (925) 947-5387
ben.drew@johnmuirhealth.com
www.johnmuirhealth.com

FOR I MMEDI ATE RELEASE
J uly 29, 2014
JOINTLY RELEASED BY UCSF AND JOHN MUIR HEALTH

UCSF MEDICAL CENTER, JOHN MUIR HEALTH COLLABORATING TO
DEVELOP NEW COMPANY AND REGIONAL HEALTH CARE NETWORK

Affiliation Would Serve as Cornerstone of Regional Network to Provide
More Integrated, High-Quality, Cost-Effective Care

UCSF Medical Center and J ohn Muir Health have signed a letter of intent to
develop a company that will serve as the cornerstone of a Bay Area health care network
intended to provide patients with high quality care and an exceptional experience at an
affordable price. A final agreement is expected by the end of 2014.
Under the proposed agreement both organizations would remain independent, but a
new company would be created that is equally owned and operated by both organizations.
The new company would serve as a funding vehicle for future joint initiatives and a
shared services organization to support programs and initiatives focused on better health
care, at lower costs, for Bay Area patients.
The first of these joint initiatives is investment in a collaborative effort with other
health care providers to form a regional health care network, or accountable care
organization (ACO). Establishing a Bay Area-wide ACO will provide patients from
throughout the Bay Area and Northern California with a competitively priced option to
access, close to where they live or work, many of the Bay's Area's most trusted and
respected hospitals, health systems and physician organizations.
Both J ohn Muir Health and USCF Medical Center have experience in successful
ACOs that have demonstrated lower health care costs and improved health care quality.
The goal of an ACO is to provide the right care at the right time and in the most
appropriate setting, whether that is the primary care physicians office, an outpatient
center or a hospital, and savings achieved as part of an ACO can be passed along to
consumers in the form of lower health care benefit premiums.
By combining J ohn Muir Health and UCSFs strengths, we aim to offer patients
the highest value system of care available, said Mark R. Laret, CEO of UCSF Medical
Center and UCSF Benioff Hospitals. We look forward to working not just with each
other, but with other health organizations throughout Northern California, in order to
provide an exceptional health care experience for patients.
The jointly owned and operated company brings together two organizations that
share a commitment to providing patients with high-quality care at an affordable price,


said Cal Knight, President and CEO of J ohn Muir Health. We looked at a number of
affiliation options that would allow us to grow without compromising our mission, vision
and independence. We found the right fit with UCSF and look forward to the
development, along with other partners, of a regional ACO that will benefit patients and
the communities we serve."
Both organizations are widely recognized for the quality of care they provide. U.S.
News and World Report recently ranked UCSF Medical Center, J ohn Muir Medical
Center, Walnut Creek and J ohn Muir Medical Center, Concord as the top three hospitals
in the San Francisco Bay Area for the third straight year. In addition, the J ohn Muir
Physician Network recently received the highest possible "elite" ranking from the
California Association of Physician Groups for the fourth straight year.
The formal affiliation would enable both organizations to build on their strengths
and work together through the new company to develop joint initiatives. For example,
UCSF Medical Center and J ohn Muir Health would coordinate rollout of their Epic
electronic medical record systems and patient communication portals to enable better
physician and patient communications. UCSF Medical Center and J ohn Muir Health also
anticipate, with other provider partners, building enhanced physician practice
management services to create alternatives for physicians throughout the Bay Area who
wish to affiliate with the new company and Bay Area ACO's efforts.
UCSF Medical Center and J ohn Muir Health recognize that health care delivery
changes brought about by health care reform are here to stay, said Laret. Both
organizations have a demonstrated track record of delivering high-quality care at an
affordable cost through ACOs. This experience will be used to provide the value that Bay
Area and Northern California residents, patients, employers and payors are looking for
from trusted health care providers.

About UC San Francisco and UCSF Medical Center
UCSF Medical Center consistently ranks as one of the top 10 hospitals in the United States.
Recognized for innovative treatments, advanced technology, collaboration among health care professionals
and scientists, and a highly compassionate patient care team, UCSF Medical Center serves as the academic
medical center of UC San Francisco. UCSFs nationally preeminent programs include children's health, the
brain and nervous system, organ transplantation, women's health, cancer and behavioral health. The
medical center operates as a self-supporting enterprise within UCSF and generates its own revenues to
cover the operating costs of providing patient care.
UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital San Francisco also is affiliated with UCSF Benioff Childrens
Hospital Oakland.
About John Muir Health
J ohn Muir Health is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care organization east of San
Francisco serving patients in Contra Costa, eastern Alameda and southern Solano Counties. It includes a
network of 950 primary care and specialty physicians, more than 5,500 employees, medical centers in
Concord and Walnut Creek, including Contra Costas only trauma center, and a Behavioral Health Center.
The health system also offers a full-range of medical services, including primary care, outpatient and
imaging services, and is widely recognized as a leader in many specialties neurosciences, orthopedic,
cancer, cardiovascular, trauma, emergency, pediatrics and high-risk obstetrics care. For more information,
visit johnmuirhealth.com.

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