How will this long distance primary affiliation work?

The relationship will focus on collaboration in research, patient care and teaching. Many of The Methodist Hospital medical staff will have Weill Cornell Medical College faculty appointments. Through these relationships, we will be able to share research and treatment protocols, outcome data and other operational information. Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian will work together to create joint programs through our new Methodist Hospital Research Institute. 

Collaboration and sharing of information accelerates medical innovation. The affiliation of our three institutions will ensure a rapid exchange of ideas and methods of treatment, as well as greatly increased opportunities for teaching and research. Today’s technology affords us the opportunity to communicate and collaborate without limitation or interference. 

How does this affiliation affect Methodist’s vision for 2010 Leading Medicine? Does this change Methodist’s plans? 

Affiliations with top ranked medical schools are building blocks for the 2010 Leading Medicine vision. The new affiliation with Weill Cornell Medical College and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is an example of the kind of partnerships we are seeking to help accomplish our plans.

Who are Weill Cornell Medical College and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital?

They are institutions whose visions and commitments to excellence in patient care and research are completely aligned with Methodist’s.

Weill Cornell is currently ranked 12th among the nation’s medical schools and is the leading medical school in the greater New York City area. NewYork-Presbyterian is one of only 17 hospitals named to U.S. News Honor Roll and is ranked in 16 specialties. More than 1 million inpatient and outpatient visits take place there each year. 

What will Methodist do for its new partners? 

By aligning with Methodist, Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian have the opportunity to work with a top tier institution that shares their vision, including the desire to expand their reach to other parts of the nation. Additionally, we three possess significant and well-known international medical programs. Our alignment could not be better timed as we launch The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, providing more research opportunities to our physicians and our new partners.

Why do Methodist and Houston need a medical school affiliation from outside Texas? 

Methodist sought a primary affiliation that best fits its long-term plans to grow as an academic medical center of the first rank in all aspects of patient care, research and education.  We wanted to do this while preserving everything that is distinctive about Methodist. Our location, or that of our potential partners, has never been viewed as a boundary to achieving our goals.  Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian have visions and values that are most consistent with our own. 

How will this affect patient care?   The new affiliation is consistent with Methodist’s goal to provide the best treatments for its patients in the most caring environment with the most advanced technology. We share with Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian an approach to health care that places the needs of the patient and his or her family at the center of an experience that involves more advanced technology, shorter hospital stays, and the capability for more outpatient procedures. A formal affiliation of our three institutions will ensure a rapid exchange of ideas and methods of treatment, as well as greatly increased opportunities for teaching and research.

What specialties at Methodist will change?  

The current specialties at Methodist will only be strengthened as a result of the new affiliation.