PinnacleHealth and UPMC announced on Tuesday that they’ve signed a letter of intent to pursue an affiliation.
UPMC, which is headquartered in Pittsburgh, owns hospitals in Altoona and Bedford. PinnacleHealth, which is based in the Harrisburg area is affiliated with J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital in Huntingdon.
The two health systems say they’ve already begun to work toward a definitive agreement. The CEOs of both organizations indicated that their affiliation would lead to better health outcomes at a lower cost.
Last year, PinnacleHealth and Penn State Hershey Medical Center called off merger plans after they ran into strong opposition from regulators.