To our community of patients,
I am proud to share that as of June 1, 2024, Southern Maine Health Care is now part of MaineHealth Maine Medical Center. As a multi-campus medical center serving Cumberland and York Counties, we can better utilize our resources to care for patients and support our extraordinary care team. Together, we can share our clinical expertise, provide higher-value care, operate more efficiently and deliver a better, more consistent patient experience.
As we come together, MaineHealth is also making it easier for you to access care by making the names of our locations and services easier to identify and navigate under a uniform look and feel. You will see these changes across our hospitals, practices and other locations in southern Maine this summer and across all of MaineHealth later this year. Our care team, mission, vision and values remain the same, but the names of some of our locations and services will change. For example, our primary locations are now identified as:
- MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Portland
- MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Biddeford
- MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Sanford
We will also continue to offer services at our MaineHealth Scarborough and MaineHealth Brighton Campuses in Cumberland County, and through MaineHealth’s extensive network of provider practices and clinics. Our location-based care services will not immediately change as a result of our coming together, but you will see enhancements as we update our brand, implement collaborative innovations and expand our education and training mission. We look forward to beginning this next chapter as we realize our vision of working together so our communities are the healthiest in America.
Respectfully,
Britt Crewse, MBA, MHS, CPA
Southern Region President
MaineHealth
MaineHealth is introducing a new look to help you navigate your care more easily.
While our brand is evolving, our commitment to providing compassionate and exceptional care is as strong as ever.
Frequently Asked Questions
For the past few years, MMC and SMHC have been exploring ways to work closer together. The two hospitals (and their outpatient locations):
- Have overlapping service areas
- Frequently transfer patients between facilities
- Have many shared care team members
In 2022, MMC and SMHC combined their governing boards and aligned many clinical services such as bariatrics, cardiology and urology. MMC and SMHC have also combined their hospital admission processes.
June 1, 2024
Yes, because of the MMC/SMHC integration and the MaineHealth system rebrand, the "Southern Maine Health Care" brand and name will be retired and locations will operate under the MaineHealth brand effective June 1.
Because the hospitals are coming together under one hospital license, the Maine Medical Center name will be used along with the medical center location. Our primary locations will be known as:
- MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Portland
- MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Biddeford
- MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Sanford
As of June 1, all patients admitted to our hospital, whether newly admitted or if they are continuing their stay, will become patients of MaineHealth Maine Medical Center. We will update the information on admitted patients in our electronic medical record system once this transition occurs.
Patients can expect their care team to visit them frequently during this time to verify all medical record information and ensure that the record transfer in our system is accurate. Patients will not need to take action on their own.
As of June 1, 2024, bills for care received at any former SMHC location will list MaineHealth Maine Medical Center or MaineHealth as the location. Examples include MaineHealth Sleep Medicine in Kennebunk (2 Livewell Drive) or MaineHealth Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Biddeford (46 Barra Road).
View a sample bill for care received at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Portland.
No. The combination of our hospital licenses and resulting name change will not change rates charged for clinical services.
No, all providers are part of MaineHealth and the integration will not change your medical care, provider relationships or medical records.
You will always have a choice about where you receive care. And, the MMC and SMHC integration will help make medical care more accessible in Cumberland and York Counties. This could mean faster access to specialists or services in a nearby community.
No, MaineHealth Maine Maine Medical Center Portland remains the only Tertiary Care/Level 1 Trauma Center location in Maine. There will be no changes to Emergency Services offered at MHMMC Portland, MHMMC Biddeford and MHMMC Sanford.
To simplify the MaineHealth portfolio and adopt a consumer-friendly naming structure, making it easier for patients to find, access and remember our name. The brand will also signal the strength, excellence and unity of the MaineHealth system, defining a consistent approach for how hospitals, practices, locations, programs, departments and services are identified (visually and verbally).
For Providers
View important integration guidance for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professionals and referring providers.