In a spectacular example of how health systems are expanding and seeking ways to integrate  and cross-promote physician groups and hospitals, Boston Children’s Hospital plans to buy Children’s and Women’s Physicians of Westchester (N.Y.) LLP, in what would be the hospital’s first acquisition outside Massachusetts. Terms were not disclosed.

The physician group is for-profit, the hospital a not-for-profit.

The Westchester physicians see a lot of business coming from uniting with a world-famed institution. The hospital, for its part, sees a mighty flood of well-insured referrals coming from this marriage. The Westchester group has a total of 276 physicians in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey area, many of them affluent suburban patients with generous  insurance.

The Boston Globe noted:
“The hospital already treats many patients from other states and countries, but this is its first acquisition outside Massachusetts. The deal will add thousands of patients to the Children’s network and advance the hospital’s out-of-state expansion strategy; last year Children’s earnings rose on increased business from international patients.”