University of Pennsylvania Health System and Doylestown Health Sign Letter of Intent for Integration Plans

Partnership aims to bring expanded access to advanced healthcare to the patients and families in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) and Doylestown Health leaders announced plans today for the Bucks County health system to become part of Penn Medicine. The organizations say their shared values and commitment to serving patients across all four sites of care – in hospitals, outpatient facilities, in the home, and via telemedicine – sets the stage for the development of new clinical programs and enhanced services to help more patients and families across the greater Philadelphia region.

“Penn Medicine aims to provide options for patients everywhere in our region, no matter where they live. From receiving primary care and having a baby to undergoing orthopedic surgery or receiving complex treatment for cancer or heart disease, we want it to be easy for patients to choose Penn Medicine across their lifespan,” said UPHS CEO Kevin B. Mahoney. “We are excited to explore this opportunity with Doylestown Health, which has a strong, historic commitment to patients in the Northern region of the areas we serve.”

Doylestown Health is a not-for-profit, clinically integrated network of care dedicated to excellence from childbirth to end-of-life. As the flagship of Doylestown Health, Doylestown Hospital provides access to leading specialists, advanced treatments, minimally invasive surgical procedures, cutting-edge clinical trials, and patient-centered care in state-of-the-art facilities.

“Doylestown Health is deeply committed to maintaining our mission to provide patients the highest quality of care, close to home,” said Doylestown Health President and CEO James Brexler. “As we begin our second century, our boards of trustees are excited about how this partnership with Penn Medicine will further expand Doylestown Health’s ability to deliver clinical excellence and positively impact the health and well-being of the communities we have faithfully served for more than 100 years.”

The new partnership will build upon existing clinical integration between UPHS and Doylestown Health. Penn Radiation Oncology at Doylestown, for instance, opened in 2011 and delivers care for more than 400 patients each year. For more than a decade, Doylestown Hospital has been part of the Penn Cancer Network, a select group of hospitals and physician practices throughout the greater Philadelphia region collaborating with Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center to provide expanded access to treatments and clinical trials.

The announcement of the proposed partnership is a preliminary step in a process that will last several months. Once due diligence is completed and definitive agreements have been completed, the plans will be reviewed by all necessary federal and state regulators.

Doylestown Hospital would become the seventh Penn Medicine hospital. In addition to its three Philadelphia hospitals – the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, and Pennsylvania Hospital – Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, and Princeton Health are part of UPHS, having joined in 2013, 2015, and 2018, respectively.