CHOP Docs Move to South Jersey

Thanks to a deal announced yesterday, South Jersey parents will no longer have to schlep their children into the city to receive top care. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is partnering with Virtua Health, and, starting next Tuesday, CHOP doctors will work at Virtua’s Mount Holly and Voorhees campuses’  inpatient, intensive-care, and emergency departments.

The move means Virtua’s patients will no longer have to choose between a community hospital and a national research and care hub like Children’s. They will go where the care is most appropriate, experts said.

The deal also shows the influence of the massive health bill that passed last year and remains a flash point between the political parties. The bill calls for more regionalization so care can be more efficient, said Children’s chief executive, Steven Altschuler. “Establishing a relationship with Virtua . . . with its ability to care for many patients in the community, I think, is very much part of that notion.”

The deal is significant for Virtua, which has focused increasingly on treating women and children as it expands its suburban campuses. It is preparing to open a $463 million hospital in Voorhees this spring, largely focused on that mission.

“We’re bringing the best of both worlds together,” Virtua’s chief executive, Rich Miller, said.