Emory Healthcare and ProMedica Collaborate to Make Significant Investment in Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Services

ATLANTA, GA – ProMedica and Emory Healthcare have signed a collaborative agreement to design and build two multimillion-dollar skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers in the metro Atlanta area, the two nationally recognized health care providers announced today. The agreement will also transfer the management of operations of Emory’s skilled nursing facility, Budd Terrace at Wesley Woods, to ProMedica. The management agreement will become effective Sept. 1, 2021.

The joint venture demonstrates how health systems and post-hospital and rehabilitative care experts with advanced knowledge of the health care continuum can collaborate to develop innovative care solutions. By leveraging their respective skills and expertise, ProMedica, the nation’s largest not-for-profit post-hospital care provider, and Emory Healthcare, a renowned health care and academic institution, are uniquely positioned to improve health care connectivity and access to resources that help patients transition between hospital and home in the Atlanta area. Beginning Sept. 1, ProMedica will manage the day-to-day operations at Budd Terrace, while Emory will be involved with quality performance and strategic planning initiatives.

“We are pleased to collaborate with ProMedica as we enhance and expand skilled nursing and rehabilitative services for those who need our care,” says Jonathan S. Lewin, MD, CEO of Emory Healthcare. “Finding an organization that aligns with our values and missions to improve the health of the communities we serve was critical as we move forward.”

“ProMedica has a strong skilled nursing care presence in Atlanta, and we are excited to partner with another forward-thinking health care organization to provide the community with enhanced post-hospital services,” says Randy Oostra, FACHE, ProMedica’s president and chief executive officer. “Working with Emory Healthcare to bring innovative approaches to care that combine high tech with high touch, we seek to enhance the patient experience and improve health outcomes. Together, we will offer a truly unique health care alternative in our community for those recovering from illness, injury or surgery.”

ProMedica is currently looking for locations in metro Atlanta to build the two new facilities, which are expected to take two years to build once regulatory approval is received. The state-of-the-art facilities will feature private rooms and baths and innovative therapy areas focused on getting patients safely back into the community. The centers will also have attractive social and multi-purpose areas, specialized dining services and beauty and barber services. Medically complex and intensive rehabilitation services supervised by specialty physicians, nurse practitioners and medical directors will be offered seven days a week to short-term patients transitioning from hospital to home, in addition to 24-hour skilled nursing care.

When the management agreement takes effect on Sept. 1, Emory Healthcare employees working at Budd Terrace will remain Emory Healthcare employees, however they will be supervised by ProMedica. Once the newly built centers are open in the near future, employees and patients will transition and the current Budd Terrace facility will be closed.

A key provision of the joint venture is forming a quality joint operating committee with clinical staff to focus on reducing preventable re-hospitalizations, creating a seamless patient experience, improving patient satisfaction and outcomes and engaging in future strategic planning. Both Emory Healthcare and ProMedica executives will be a part of the joint operating committee.