Doylestown Health Signs Agreement to Officially Become Part of Penn Medicine

DOYLESTOWN, PA—At a signing ceremony where Doylestown Health signed an agreement to become part of Penn Medicine, officials expressed optimism that the move will be good for not only the hospital’s struggling finances, but patients in the Central Bucks area.

On Wednesday afternoon in Doylestown Hospital’s Cardiovascular & Critical Care Pavilion, officials from both Doylestown Health and Penn Medicine predicted the new union will benefit patients in front of a crowd of about 200 people. People in the crowd, who wore everything from scrubs to blue Penn Medicine t-shirts to suits and ties, seemed excited about the prospect of Doylestown Health joining Penn.

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University of Pennsylvania Health System CEO Kevin Mahoney told the group that instead of asking Central Bucks residents travel to Penn’s facilities in the city, he wants Penn to bring innovations to the Doylestown area. “This is not a health system where we take from our community providers,” Mahoney said. “We want as many patients to stay in Central Bucks County as possible. We want to bring the latest advances to the region.”

Mahoney referred to the arrangement as a marriage that will benefit both parties. “As we come together as organizations,” he said, “we are going to eke out operational efficiencies, but mostly I want to improve patient care.

That vision was echoed by Doylestown Health officials, who said they had found in Penn Medicine a partner with similar values.

“Our mission is to continuously improve the quality of life and proactively advocate for the health and wellbeing of the individuals that we serve,” said Marianne Chabot, chairman of the boards for Doylestown Hospital and Doylestown Health Foundation. “I can think of no better way to ensure that future than to join an organization like Penn Medicine, one who like us is dedicated to compassionate care, committed to excellence and to the people who made it possible.”

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Doylestown Health first announced the plan to join Penn Medicine in January of this year. While the document signed on Wednesday was being called a “definitive agreement,” it must still be reviewed by federal and state regulators. Once that approval comes in, Doylestown will integrate its operations into Penn Medicine.

Doylestown Health’s President and CEO Jim Brexler explained that while officials looked at ways to keep Doylestown Hospital independently owned, that consideration gave way to what he said has always been the hospital’s bigger goal: “delivering first-class care to this community.”

“The mission that started over 100 years ago is what needed to be safeguarded,” Brexler explained. “To remain relevant and indispensable to this community is the only goal that we really have.”

It’s likely that financial pressures that are squeezing hospitals everywhere played a role in the decision to join Penn. In 2023, Doylestown Health announced it was selling Pine Run Retirement Community to increase its cash reserves to meet banking requirements. The system’s financial reserves had reportedly dropped by $45 million from before the pandemic, which was tough on hospitals nationwide. (For more on that sale and Doylestown Health’s financial problems, see TAPinto Doylestown’s previous coverage.)

Doylestown Health’s existing relationship with Penn Medicine also likely factored into its decision to join forces with its neighbor from the city. For more than a decade, Doylestown Hospital has been part of the Penn Cancer Network. Organizations in the network collaborate with Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center to provide access to cancer care and clinical trials.

In addition, Penn Radiation Oncology at Doylestown opened in 2011. That clinic cares for more than 400 patients a year.

Doylestown Hospital is the seventh Penn Medicine hospital. In addition to the system’s three Philadelphia hospitals—the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, and Pennsylvania Hospital—Penn Medicine also owns Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health and Princeton Health.

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