Today, officials with the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) and Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) announce a strategic affiliation agreement that establishes a collaborative relationship between the two institutions.

The agreement provides the ability to form new clinical programs and services to be shared by the two institutions. It also creates a pathway for UMMC and VUMC to formally collaborate on a broad range of health and wellness initiatives, clinical services, and to jointly collaborate on programs in medical innovation and on clinical research opportunities. The agreement also positions both organizations to explore opportunities for collaboration in medical education and training.

Both organizations recognize market forces that make it necessary for progressive health systems to seek out new ways to improve the quality, value and experience of healthcare services for patients across Tennessee and Mississippi.

"VUMC and UMMC share the common goal of improving the health of the populations we serve through outstanding patient care, biomedical research and teaching. As the leading academic medical centers in our respective adjoining states, we also face many of the same or similar opportunities and challenges in today's changing healthcare landscape." said Charles O'Mara, MD, MBA, Associate Vice Chancellor for Clinical Affairs for UMMC. "Fortunately, both institutions currently enjoy an upward trajectory on many fronts and have strengths that nicely complement one another. This collaboration just makes good sense, and we're excited and honored to be affiliating with such highly respected colleagues at Vanderbilt."

Patients in Tennessee and Mississippi can benefit from shared evidence-based practices in areas of common interest, while clinicians and researchers will have new opportunities for cross-institutional collaboration.

"Year after year, southern states consistently rank near the bottom in the nation for certain health and wellness metrics. This agreement creates opportunities for our organizations to develop programs and services that will benefit the communities we serve while advancing our mission to improve the health of citizens who live throughout the Southeast," said C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Health System Officer for VUMC. "We look forward to working closely with colleagues at UMMC as we go about this important work."

Both organizations will contribute substantial strengths to the relationship. For example, UMMC is nationally recognized for its advanced telemedicine capabilities and for its tertiary clinical services that benefit the citizens of Mississippi, while VUMC is similarly recognized for its research, training programs and advanced capabilities in clinical care.

"We believe there are a wide range of possible areas for collaboration," said Kevin Cook, MSBA, Health System Chief Executive Officer for UMMC. "Some are clinical in nature, such as working together to enhance our respective drug formularies, while others are more business-oriented, such as improved supply chain performance."

Each institution remains independent and free to pursue individual initiatives. This strategic affiliation agreement provides a framework for both institutions to collaborate in select areas.