North Medical has a staff of 450 and serves 320,000 patients a year.
The North Medical Center at 5100 W. Taft Road. Syracuse, N.Y. -- St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center is buying North Medical P.C., the largest private primary practice in Central New York.
In an announcement released today, St. Joe’s said the acquisition will create one of the state’s largest health care networks.
“We have made this strategic business decision to help stabilize our network and ensure we have enough primary care physicians, which is essential as we move through health care reform,” Ted Pasinski, St. Joe’s president, said in a prepared statement.
North Medical was founded in 1989 by Dr. A. John Merola. North Medical has more than 450 professional and support staff, including nearly 80 doctors and mid-level providers. It serves more than 320,000 patients annually through five practices at the North Medical Center in Clay and the Northeast Medical Center in Fayetteville. Those practices include: Family Physicians, Urgent Care, Orthopedics & Rehabilitation, The Women’s Place and Living Proof Longevity Centre.
Merola’s daughter, Dr. Susan Merola-McConn and her husband, Dr. Mark McConn, will serve on the leadership team for the new practice.
Financial details were not disclosed. The acquisition is expected to be completed by Dec. 31.
The announcement comes on the heels of a similar move by Crouse Hospital. Crouse recently bought Internist Associates of Central New York, a primary care practice with about 40,000 patients.
Experts say hospitals are interested in buying primary care practices to position themselves for health care reform and ensure they have adequate supplies of doctors.