State and regional leaders team up to expand access to award winning health care services
Morristown, N.J., July 15, 2024 – To further fulfill Atlantic Health System's commitment to providing the highest-quality care to every patient at the time or place most convenient to them, Atlantic Health is pleased to announce the creation of a joint venture with Premier Health Associates, LLC. Premier Health is a leading multi-specialty physician group, focused on primary-care delivery across 16 locations in Sussex, Warren and Morris Counties in New Jersey and Pike County, Pennsylvania.
Premier Health will join the Atlantic Health System network of care, expanding Atlantic Health’s ability to provide comprehensive primary care services to the region. Premier Health offers eleven different specialists representing eight different specialties of care including gastroenterology, orthopedics/sports medicine, endocrinology, pulmonology, rheumatology, general/colorectal surgery, interventional pain management, chiropractic medicine, acupuncture, and imaging.
“Atlantic Health System and Premier Health share a common view of how we can best serve our patients – by reaching them at the right place, at the right time and for the right cost,” said Kevin Lenahan, Executive Vice President, Chief Business and Strategy Officer, Atlantic Health System. “Together we can make the best parts of our organizations even better on behalf of the communities in northwestern New Jersey, who can visit their trusted, primary care physician knowing the strength of the entire Atlantic Health network of care is in support.”
Premier Health's 38 health care professionals conduct approximately 177,000 patient visits annually at 15 physicians offices and one ambulatory surgery center, making it a critical health care resource to the community. Further deepening its ties to Atlantic Health, Premier Health will implement Atlantic Health’s instance of the Epic electronic health record (EHR) platform at the beginning of 2025. Epic securely keeps patients' complete and up-to-date medical records, allowing physicians and patients to share information throughout the Atlantic Health System network seamlessly, regardless of the location where care is provided.
“A personalized relationship between patient and physician is the cornerstone of building the health and wellness of a community,” said Steven Sheris, MD, Executive Vice President, Chief Physician Executive, Atlantic Health System. “The physicians of Atlantic Health System and Premier Health will bring their patient-centered focus to this new venture, helping ensure doctors enjoy the life-improving work of their practice while patients benefit from superior outcomes.”
Premier Health's mission is to establish comfortable and trusting relationships with the physician or caregiver of their choice, approaching healthcare from a family-centered perspective in a collaborative setting. By joining Atlantic Health, they will be able to continue reaching new patients while offering seamless access to new levels of care.
"We have always had a strong working and clinical relationship with our new partners at Atlantic Health System. By working to create a new entity that includes physician ownership within the venture, we felt it would be a perfect vehicle for us to achieve clinical integration within Atlantic Health,” said David Bollard, DO, President, Premier Health. “This JV will attract providers who wish to access the extensive benefits of a large partner like Atlantic Health, while still offering an opportunity for practice ownership within their community. It was this model that attracted all of our present physicians and will undoubtably attract many more in the future."
Under the terms of the joint venture, Atlantic Health System will be the majority owner of the new organization, which will retain the title of Premier Health Associates.
About Atlantic Health System
Atlantic Health System is at the forefront of medicine, setting standards for quality health care in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New York metropolitan area. Powered by a workforce of 20,000 team members and 5,440 affiliated physicians dedicated to building healthier communities, Atlantic Health System serves more than half of the state of New Jersey including 14 counties and 7.5 million people.
The not-for-profit system offers more than 550 sites of care, including its seven hospitals: Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, NJ, Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ, Newton Medical Center in Newton, NJ, Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ, Hackettstown Medical Center in Hackettstown, NJ, Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, NJ, Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute in Madison, NJ and through its partnership with CentraState Healthcare System in Freehold, NJ.
The system includes Atlantic Medical Group, part of a physician enterprise that makes up one of the largest multispecialty practices in New Jersey with more than 1,700 physicians and advance practice providers. Joined with Atlantic Accountable Care Organization and Optimus Healthcare Partners they form part of Atlantic Alliance, a Clinically Integrated Network of more than 2,500 health care providers throughout northern and central NJ.
Atlantic Health System provides care for the full continuum of health care needs through 27 urgent care centers, Atlantic Visiting Nurse and Atlantic Anywhere Virtual Visits. Facilitating the connection between these services on both land and air is the transportation fleet of Atlantic Mobile Health.
Atlantic Health System leads the Healthcare Transformation Consortium, a partnership of six regional hospitals and health systems dedicated to improving access and affordability, has a medical school affiliation with Thomas Jefferson University, is home to the regional campus of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Morristown and Overlook Medical Centers, and is the official health care partner of the New York Jets.