Two longtime Omaha health-care providers — the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of Nebraska Medical Center — announced today that they have developed a memorandum of intent that would allow the two institutions to form a stronger cooperative relationship in the areas of education, research, clinical services and administration.
The two medical centers have had a relationship since 1946, said John J. Phillips, director of the Omaha VAMC, and the memorandum of intent will provide even more opportunity for the two institutions to work together.
Phillips said the new agreement represents one of the first efforts by any VA medical center in the country to develop such a comprehensive working relationship with another institution.
“As more people become enrolled in managed care programs, health-care providers must look for ways to become more cost efficient. VA medical centers are no exception,” Phillips said. “By expanding our relationship with UNMC, it will allow both institutions to enhance the quality of their research, education and patient care programs, which may result in more efficiencies and reduced costs.”
Over the past 25 years, the VAMC and UNMC have collaborated on numerous research and educational programs, said Harold M. Maurer, M.D., dean of the UNMC College of Medicine. Presently, 73 physicians have appointments at both the VAMC and UNMC. These people generated more than $2.7 million in research grants last year.
“We’ve always considered the VAMC to be an important resource for our education and research programs,” Dr. Maurer said. “It only makes good sense for us to look for ways to broaden this existing relationship.”
Fifty-one resident physicians from UNMC and 31 from the Creighton University School of Medicine are currently doing their resident training at the VA Medical Center. Phillips said the memorandum of intent will not change the VAMC’s education affiliation with Creighton and that Creighton students will continue to do their residency training at the VA.
“The UNMC Assessment Team under Dr. Maurer’s leadership last fall identified the VA Medical Center as an important partner to help ensure a strong future for UNMC,” said William O. Berndt, Ph.D., UNMC chancellor. “This agreement is the culmination of the work that has transpired since then.
Dr. Maurer and Phillips indicated there are several areas that UNMC and the VAMC could potentially combine resources with minimal difficulty.
These include:
- development of one common data and paging system for both institutions;
- establishing a patient transport system between the two institutions;
- UNMC utilizing the VA’s bone densitometer and providing evaluation for UNMC and VA patients;
- looking for more opportunities to collaborate on research projects.
Under the provisions of the memorandum of intent, the VAMC/UNMC cooperative relationship will be under the direction of Dr. Maurer and Phillips, as well as Louis W. Burgher, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of the Nebraska Health System.
NHS went into effect on Oct. 1 and represents a merger of the hospital and clinical operations of UNMC and Clarkson Regional Health Services.
Over the next few weeks, Phillips said the management team will appoint work teams to examine collaborative efforts that would be mutually beneficial to both institutions.