The programs at Allegheny General Hospital and West Penn Hospital will be led by Dr. George J. Magovern Jr., who is based at AGH's North Side campus. Patients will continue to be seen at both facilities, according to a July 1 letter from Magovern to the medical staff.
The change is part of a long-delayed integration of services sought by the system's board of directors. Dr. Christopher Olivia, the new CEO who has revamped the network's executive staff, is orchestrating the integration.
"We have stated since Dr. Olivia's arrival that it is his mandate to evolve this system into a true system of health care, not a loose confederation of hospitals," said spokesman Tom Chakurda. "It's clear that we want to become more integrated and more cohesive in how we function and how we deliver our services."
Chakurda declined to say what other services are being consolidated, but the chairman of surgery at Allegheny General, Dr. Mark S. Roh, last month took on the added job of chairman of surgery at West Penn. Roh replaced Dr. Philip F. Caushaj, who leaves the hospital Aug. 31.
The number of surgeries performed at West Penn's Bloomfield campus has dropped, according to documents recently provided to bondholders. The hospital's surgical residency program has been shut down and combined with the AGH program.
"You will still have residents at West Penn, but we are looking at integration of residencies within the system," Chakurda said.
Olivia, 45, has not made any public comments since taking the top job in March. He has been busy taking the reins of a network that, although profitable over the past four years, has faltered recently. For the nine months ended March 31, the system posted an operating loss of $15.6 million, compared with an operating loss of $10.1 million for the same period the prior fiscal year, according to Fitch Ratings.
The new cardiothoracic surgery group, which includes 18 surgeons, will be called McGinnis Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgical Associates. It is named after Respironics Inc. founder Gerald McGinnis, a longtime West Penn Allegheny supporter.
Cardiothoracic surgery is one of the most frequently performed and profitable procedures at local hospitals. It includes the procedure known as coronary artery bypass graft surgery to treat patients with blockages in the coronary arteries.
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