RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers have announced the execution of an integrated practice agreement between RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers University on behalf of its Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Through this agreement, Rutgers and RWJBarnabas Health have taken an important step toward creating a single, financially sustainable, aligned clinical enterprise that includes one of the largest medical groups in the country and has a unified clinical mission that advances our high-quality standards in our clinical, teaching and research missions.

The agreement is the next phase of the affiliation between RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers University that was formalized in July 2018, with a goal of creating the largest and most comprehensive academic health system in New Jersey. The establishment of a combined medical group, which integrates the clinical practices of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and RWJBarnabas Health in the New Brunswick region, represents a significant step toward achieving our clinical delivery, population health and wellness goals, as well as our continued work to increase access to care and reduce the health disparities that impact our state.

No. This agreement is not a merger. It is an affiliation that unifies the medical practices of RWJBarnabas Health’s medical groups and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School around clinical care, education and research. The RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers entities will remain separate, each with its own employees, but will be aligned to operate as a single clinical enterprise. The current agreement does not include Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, which will become part of this integrated clinical enterprise under a separate agreement, to be negotiated, and certain other Rutgers clinical programs. In addition, the current agreement does not include Rutgers New Jersey Medical School or the clinical services that New Jersey Medical School provides at University Hospital in Newark.

The combined medical group brings together 1,800+ providers and clinical staff from the RWJBarnabas Health medical groups, and 1,100+ providers and clinical staff from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, including employed physicians, and some nurses and other health care professionals. All Rutgers employees remain employed by Rutgers under all applicable university policies and collective negotiation agreements even though their clinical practice will be managed through the combined medical group. The combined multi-specialty group will be among the largest medical groups in the country.

The agreement is effective as of July 1, 2020.

The combined medical group will have a unified clinical mission that advances RWJBarnabas Health’s and Rutgers’s world-class academic health system dedicated to life-changing research, clinical training of tomorrow’s health care workforce, and high quality care for all. The combined medical group will:

• Improve and expand access to high quality health care services in our local communities throughout New Jersey.
• Provide a strong primary care base that is integrated and connected with tertiary/quaternary services through medical neighborhoods.
• Become a destination nationally for certain programs such as cancer and neurological and neurosurgical services.
• Attract the very best medical professional talent from New Jersey and around the globe, and keep them in New Jersey.
• Expand the portfolio of teaching and learning opportunities for medical education.

This additional step in the RWJBarnabas Health-Rutgers affiliation to jointly operate a world-class academic health system, provides our communities with expanded access to the highest-quality primary and specialty care providers who are dedicated to exceptional patient care, life-saving research and clinical training of tomorrow’s health care workforce.

This affiliation is designed to improve the ability of all clinicians to provide care to patients. The model provides for greater integration and heightened access to consultations and clinical research. Through the combined medical group, all physicians will function as an aligned clinical practice executing a single set of strategies. The combined medical group will also continue to work in collaboration with practitioners in the state who wish to remain independent and self-employed, just as they do today.

Rutgers faculty will remain Rutgers faculty. Rutgers will maintain exclusive rights to issue faculty appointments to all physicians and other eligible health professionals. RWJBarnabas Health providers with the appropriate clinical and educational backgrounds who contribute to teaching/education in the clinical setting may be considered for a separate faculty appointment from Rutgers under the University’s policies and rules. Newly appointed faculty may be employees of Rutgers or RWJBarnabas Health, depending on the educational, clinical, and research needs of the aligned clinical enterprise.

This affiliation will expand opportunities for providers to engage in and lead innovative academic endeavors in alignment with the exceptional medical education programs based at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Both RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers continue to share the goal of achieving national recognition as a leader in health science discovery and innovation by growing research activities and expanding clinical trials statewide. This affiliation does not alter plans set forth in the original agreement for the significant investment in faculty recruitment, grant applications, clinical trials, facility improvements, and the retention of top medical students.

The combined medical group will be operated by RWJBarnabas Health in coordination with Rutgers University Deans and Chairs and other faculty leadership to advance our clinical academic and research missions. The CEO of the combined medical group is Andy Anderson, MD. He will oversee and manage the operations of the combined medical group, continue to report to RWJBarnabas Health leadership and be responsible for setting the strategic direction and policies of the combined medical group. Dr. Anderson also has a reporting relationship with the Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Chancellor. Rutgers faculty will continue to report and be supervised by their Department Chairs, who in turn, will report to the Dean. The Dean will report to the RBHS Chancellor.

We will work together over the coming months to explore the adoption of a new brand suite to reflect the affiliation. We will share more information on this as it is available.

The combined medical group is about growth, with the continued expansion of services and the addition of new practices as we broaden our geographic and clinical footprint. We anticipate the affiliation will provide more opportunities for employment. There are no plans to reduce staff at either organization as a result of this next step in our affiliation.

No community-based practices are expected to close as a result of this affiliation.

Salaries and benefits are expected to remain the same. Rutgers faculty salary and benefits will continue to be paid pursuant to the collective negotiations agreement with the faculty union.

RWJBarnabas Health physicians involved in educational activities who meet applicable Rutgers University requirements may be eligible to receive appropriate faculty appointments.