Princeton HealthCare System’s newly announced partnership with the University of Pennsylvania Health System could lead, eventually, to an expansion of the four-year-old campus on Route 1 in Plainsboro. But for now, the focus of the shared future is on things like ambulatory care and expanded clinical capabilities.

“The relationship will take some time to mature,” said Barry Rabner, PHCS president and chief executive officer. “But for people who live in central New Jersey, it will mean easier access to care because we expect to be investing in ambulatory care. We also will have better access to care. And we expect to see the research showing up at the bedside more quickly than it has.”

PHCS announced last week that it had signed a letter of intent to pursue a partnership with Penn Medicine, after considering 17 health systems across the country. “The thing we really liked a lot was their reputation for advanced clinical care,” said Mr. Rabner. “They are a significant research institution, an excellent medical school, and have a very strong financial performance.”

Another point in Penn’s favor is the fact that area residents already use its services. “We’ve done some testing, and we found that Penn enjoys the best reputation among people in our service area of any organization we tested,” Mr. Rabner said. “A lot of people who choose to get care today outside of central Jersey are choosing to go to Penn already. So between their reputation and the fact that people are already getting care there, it made a lot of sense.”

Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine is ranked among the top five medical schools in National Institutes of Health funding. The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has been recognized repeatedly as an Honor Roll Hospital in the US News and World Report Best Hospitals ratings. Mr. Rabner’s son, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law are all graduates of the medical school (“Purely a coincidence!”, he said, with a laugh).

Last week’s announcement was only a preliminary step. The two health systems will now conduct due diligence and negotiate definitive agreements, a process expected to take several months. Following that, there are regulatory approvals to obtain, a process which could take up to a year to complete.

Penn’s financial health will add to PHCS’ financial security and ability to enhance clinical programs, Mr. Rabner said, adding that Penn’s expertise in information technology will help efforts to install an integrated electronic medical record capability.

Penn Medicine consists of The University of Pennsylvania Health System which includes the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Pennsylvania Hospital, Clinical Practices of the University of Pennsylvania, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Wissahickon Hospice and the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine. Together they are an academic health enterprise in excess of $6.8 billion in revenues, according to a press release on the partnership.

Once the arrangement is approved and finalized, PHCS will likely expand clinical capabilities in such areas as women’s health services, cancer care, and neurosciences. Expanding the campus is something that could happen later rather than sooner.

“For right now, the campus is appropriately sized for the demand we get,” Mr. Rabner said. “We are often at capacity and we do see a need for more outpatient care. It hasn’t been determined yet, but I would expect more of that. In turn, that will generate additional activity on the campus and that would result in further investment. But that is secondary. For now, we have a more immediate focus.”