Wilmington Health and Medac officials on Thursday announced an affiliation that will take effect March 1.
 
Through the partnership, Medac, which runs several urgent care centers in the area, will be able to tap into operational support from Wilmington Health. That includes Wilmington Health’s electronic medical record system, patient satisfaction measurement, data analytic, purchasing and compliance infrastructure, according to a news release.
 
Official say the relationship will help with the continuity of care for patients.
 
Under the agreement, Medac will become a part of the Wilmington Health-sponsored Accountable Care Organization (ACO) called Physicians Healthcare Collaborative. 
 
“Medac is committed to improving patient satisfaction and the quality of care while also lowering the overall cost of healthcare for its patients,” Medac CEO Paul Snyder said in statement. “Importantly, our partnership with Physicians Healthcare Collaborative and Wilmington Health will accelerate the achievement of these critical objectives.”
 
ACO concepts drove the partnership, which was in discussion for about four or five months, Wilmington Health CEO Jeff James said. ACOs, models pushed by the federal Affordable Care Act, rely on networks of health care providers sharing patient care responsibilities and reimbursement.
 
With the sharing of the same electronic medical records system, both Medac and Wilmington Health will be able see treatment notes on things such as medical complaints and prescriptions despite which provider patients visit. The integration also will help with follow-up care after an urgent care visit, James said.
 
“Many of our patients visit Medac for their urgent care needs, but currently the systems don’t talk to each other,” he said.
 
Medac Health Services, established in Wilmington in 1984, operates urgent care centers at 8115 Market St. in Porters Neck, 4402 Shipyard Blvd. and 1442 Military Cutoff Road. Its corporate health section also provides occupational medicine services, such as drug and alcohol testing, employee physicals and workers compensation care, according to its website.
 
Wilmington Health also has its own urgent care centers – one in Monkey Junction and another in Jacksonville.
 
The news release pointed out that Medac would not rebrand as part of the deal.
 
“Unlike many recent mergers in the region, Medac will continue to maintain its own corporate identity and ownership structure,” the release stated. “The two organizations are simply integrating their information platforms to better serve the community.” 
 
New Hanover Regional Medical Center and Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center in recent years have added the names of their physician groups when absorbing other practices, as consolidation becomes more of an industry trend. Wilmington Health, too, has acquired practices and folded them in under its umbrella.
 
The partnership with Medac represents a different approach, James said, adding that it is Wilmington Health’s first to simply extend its platform and capabilities to another provider group.
 
“The most important thing is the clinical integration,” he said. “We definitely think it’s a step forward in showing provider collaboration for the improvement of cost and quality in our market.”