UPMC and Washington Health System move to affiliate

Washington Health System and UPMC are moving toward an affiliation.The boards of directors for each health system signed a non-binding letter of intent to negotiate the agreement, WHS said in a statement Tuesday."Our primary focus is to ensure the residents of Washington and Greene counties have local access to high-quality health care that is sustainable into the future. After careful consideration and analysis, we believe the best path forward is to affiliate with UPMC to achieve that goal," WHS President and CEO Brook Ward said in the statement.Over the next few months, both parties will work to come to a definitive agreement.Washington Health System said Washington Hospital and WHS-Greene will be renamed UPMC Washington and UPMC Greene once the affiliation is complete.