ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Some Capital Region hospitals will now be under the Albany Med Health System. The partnership includes Albany Medical Center, Columbia Memorial Hospital, Saratoga Hospital and Glens Falls Hospital.

“When patients see the Albany Health System brand they can rest assure that they have a direct connection to the most advanced quality services and the largest team of healthcare experts in the mid-Hudson Valley to the North Country,” Dennis McKenna, CEO and President of Albany Medical Center, said.

The new system will use Epic, an electronic medical record software that will allow for quicker diagnosis and referrals within the four hospital system.

“Providers on our campuses and specialists that travel between our campuses will have secure access to the full patient medical history and the full story of every person’s care” Jill VanKuren, President and CEO of Saratoga Hospital, said.

The changes are, in part, a response to the challenges faced by the healthcare industry over the course of the pandemic including a shortage of doctors and nurses. The system will now include an in-house staffing alliance of nurses that can fill vacant positions temporarily with opportunities for permanent recruitment.

The hospitals also anticipate a shift in care models as the way people receive care continues to change.

“We can offer them an opportunity to travel and travel within the system and we think if they’re moving within only a couple hospitals, we have a greater opportunity to onboard them quickly,” McKenna said. “They buy into our mission as a system, they’ll be using the same electronic medical record platform and it’s much more likely that they would take those assignments and stay with them for quite some time.” 

Albany Medical Center recently eliminated 37 positions as part of a system-wide restructuring they hope will boost revenue in the future. McKenna said they do not anticipate further layoffs as part of the ongoing rebrand.