Lehigh Valley Health Network and Jefferson Health have announced plans for a merger that would create a health care system with more than 30 hospitals, 62,000 employees in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and nearly $14 billion in annual revenue.
While LVHN is a familiar name to Lehigh Valley residents, Jefferson may not be. But the Philadelphia-based health care system has been growing through mergers and acquisitions in recent years.
Here’s what you need to know about Jefferson Health.
How big is Jefferson Health?
Jefferson has a network of 18 hospitals and physician practices in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania, and Camden and Gloucester counties in New Jersey.
Jefferson has more than 42,000 employees, making it the second-largest employer in Philadelphia and the largest health system in the region by total licensed beds.
Jefferson is also home to Health Partners Plans, an HMO with nearly 400,000 members that provides a range of health coverage, including Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Jefferson’s history
Jefferson was founded in 1825 as the Infirmary of the Jefferson Medical College, later known as the Hospital of Jefferson Medical College. In 1996, it merged with Methodist Hospital in South Philadelphia.
Jefferson began a major expansion into the Philadelphia suburbs in 2015 when it acquired Abington Health in Montgomery County. The following year it acquired Aria Health, which had hospitals in Philadelphia and Bucks County. In 2017, Kennedy Health, a southern New Jersey-based health care system, joined Jefferson.
In 2021, Einstein Healthcare Network became part of Jefferson.
What is Jefferson known for?
In addition to its hospitals, Jefferson Health is home to the medical college Thomas Jefferson University.
It’s also home to the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, one of only 70 National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers in the country. Its flagship hospital is Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals ranked second in the Philadelphia region and third in the state in U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Hospitals” rankings.
