After signing a non-binding letter of intent in April, Fulton County Medical Center (FCMC) of McConnellsburg, Pa., has signed a definitive affiliation agreement that will lead to it joining the West Virginia University Health System, which operates as WVU Medicine.
Under the definitive agreement, WVU Medicine is committing up to $17 million over the next seven years to modernize FCMC, a 21-bed critical access hospital, “including the installation of Epic, which will provide seamless integration of the hospital’s electronic medical records and revenue cycle management with the Health System; growing clinical services; and expanding access to high-quality care across the community it serves.”
“We look forward to completing the final steps, so we may begin fully integrating the enhanced patient services WVU Medicine will bring to our local communities,” stated FCMC President and CEO Mike Makosky.
FCMC, the only hospital in Fulton County, has served Fulton, Bedford, Blair, Franklin, and Huntingdon counties in Pennsylvania for more than 75 years.
The transaction is anticipated to occur on or about Jan. 1, 2027, and is subject to regulatory approval and various closing conditions, shortly after the expected closing of WVU Medicine’s affiliation with the five hospitals of Greensburg, Pa.-based Independence Health System. “Collectively, these transactions will further expand the WVU Health System’s network of hospitals, outpatient facilities, and specialty services into rural Pennsylvania,” states the health system.
“One of the anchors of WVU Medicine 2035—our 10-year strategic plan—is to become the national leader in rural population management by transforming rural healthcare through innovative care models and applied academic medical center research,” stated WVU Health System President and CEO Albert L. Wright, Jr. “We believe in bringing the specialized care with which WVU Medicine has become synonymous to patients in rural and underserved areas, where they are surrounded by their support systems.”
