Penn Medicine, Doylestown Health Merger Finalized

Doylestown Health will become part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System next Tuesday after receiving approvals from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Trade Commission.

The health system, which operates the only hospital in Central Bucks County, will be renamed Penn Medicine Doylestown Health.

Doylestown Hospital, with 247 beds, will become the seventh hospital in the Penn Medicine system, which includes three hospitals in Philadelphia, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, and Princeton Health.

The plan to merge was announced early last year after months of rumors.

“Doylestown Health’s integration into Penn Medicine is a key part of our strategy to reimagine care,” said University of Pennsylvania Health System CEO Kevin B. Mahoney. “Our goal is to transform healthcare into a source of ease and reassurance—simplifying care delivery, making it more accessible for patients, and creating a seamless, supportive experience at every step.”

Penn Medicine Doylestown Health will have more than 600 providers covering over 50 specialties in the area.

Doylestown Hospital was founded more than 100 years ago and offers inpatient and outpatient care, including advanced surgical procedures, specialty services, and wellness programs.

As part of the integration, Penn Medicine will appoint two members to the Penn Medicine Doylestown Health board, and two Doylestown trustees will join Penn Medicine’s Board of Trustees.

“Doylestown Hospital was founded with the principal mission to bring quality healthcare close to home for the patients we serve, and I can think of no better way to do that than by joining our region’s leading academic health system, which will allow for patients in our community to receive even more advanced care options,” said Penn Medicine Doylestown Health CEO Jim Brexler.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System and Doylestown Health have collaborated on cancer treatment and clinical trials over the past decade.

Doylestown Health is the fourth-largest employer in Bucks County as of the third quarter of 2024, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry

Doylestown Health reported operating losses of $24.3 million in 2022, according to a 2023 report by the Doylestown Intelligencer. The newspaper also reported the hospital absorbed nearly $70 million in pandemic-related losses, but prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the health system reported small profits.

Doylestown Health sold the Pine Run Retirement Community to Presbyterian Senior Living for more than $80 million and earned $35 million in proceeds earlier in 2024, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal.

The acquisition comes amid other health care consolidations in the region.

Jefferson Health, which operates a hospital in Falls Township, is acquiring Lehigh Valley Health Network, which has offices in Bucks County. St. Luke’s University Health Network has a pending deal to acquire Grand View Health in Upper Bucks County.

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