"Strategic Alliance" Brings Penn Medicine And Virtua Together In South Jersey

By David Madden

VOORHEES, NJ (CBS) -- Two major health care providers in the region are teaming up on a pair of important fronts.

Penn Medicine and Virtua are forming a collaboration, they call it a strategic alliance, to deal with cancer and neurologic problems. The idea here is to provide more services in South Jersey and improved access to new medical trends.

"The health care system in this country is very complicated. We want to make it easier for the patient," Penn Medicine CEO Ralph Muller told KYW Newsradio. "They want to be close to home. They want to be close to their family. So we will take the means by having this alliance, integrating our programs to make it much more positive for the patients who live over here to have that kind of access."

They're also looking to cut down on costs. Many procedures now done in Philadelphia will be offered in South Jersey starting in the new year.

"Health care is still local. It's still very local," Rich Miller, Virtua CEO said. "So people look in the local community for their health care. So it brings the best Virtua has to offer and then it brings the Penn research and clinical trials right to the doorstep."

Cancer treatment, in particular, has been a big part of Virtua's business in recent years. In 2014, and those numbers are expected to grow as baby boomers reach their golden years.

More information on the joint venture is available at www.virtua.org/pennmedicine