Sentara will partner with N.Va. hospital, a first

Sentara Healthcare plans to extend its reach to the northern part of the state by partnering with Potomac Hospital in Woodbridge.

The merger with the 183-bed facility will provide needed resources for the struggling independent hospital and further expand Sentara's health system, according to officials from both organizations.

Sentara Healthcare operates seven hospitals, and this will be its first outside Hampton Roads. Sentara services such as insurance, home health care and medical transport operate in other parts of the state and in North Carolina.

"I think what you're seeing is a continued wave of consolidations and mergers of hospitals because of the economic times," David L. Bernd, CEO of Sentara Healthcare, said Friday. "Systems have to get larger to spread overhead costs and become more efficient."

Bernd said the Potomac hospital is operating in the black but foresees the need for more resources in the future, including a switch to electronic health records.

"We feel we are in a position to help this community hospital survive and do well," he said.

In February, the Potomac Hospital Foundation board began considering 29 potential partners. A letter of intent has been signed by Potomac and Sentara, and the nonprofit s will work to complete the details and meet requirements of the Federal Trade Commission and the Virginia attorney general.

Elizabeth Simpson, (757) 446-2635, elizabeth.simpson@pilotonline.com