A clinical affiliation agreement between MetroWest Medical Center and Boston powerhouse hospital Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center was unanimously approved on Wednesday by the the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission.
According to Jeffrey Hulburt, president and CEO of BIDCO, the commission’s cost and market impact review found MetroWest Medical Center joining the hospital’s network has the potential to improve healthcare delivery, access and quality.
The two organizations will work together to enhance services including primary care, oncology, surgery and obstetrics and gynecology, according to the hospitals. The two hospital networks will also link medical record systems.
MWMC includes Framingham Union Hospital in Framingham and Leonard Morse Hospital in Natick. MWMC will remain an independent organization with its own community board and local governance.
The agreement also covers the Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at BIDMC. This physician group has more than 1,200 Harvard Medical School faculty members and will help round out the continuum of care for patients, according to Stuart Rosenberg, president and CEO of HMFP.
