A History of Inter-Professional Education, Collaboration and Service (IPECS)
Reading Health System
Reading Health System celebrates a long history of care to its community through Inter-Professional Education,
Collaboration and Service (IPECS). The forward thinkers who established the Health System knew that providers at all levels were needed to care for the Reading community and Berks County. Now, Reading Health System is the largest provider of health care in Berks County with the busiest Emergency Department in PA and one of
healthgrades America's 100 Best Hospitals. As an independent academic medical center, Reading positions itself for the future through its academic and research affiliations with local medical schools including Johns Hopkins, Thomas Jefferson, Drexel and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology serves as a shining example of IPECS, with more than 50 physicians who work collaboratively with nurse midwives, nurse practitioners and physician assistants to provide education and care in our inpatient and ambulatory facilities. More than 3,800 deliveries are performed at the hospital and our free-standing birth center each year, along with more than 5,000 gynecological procedures - all while accommodating more than 75,000 ambulatory visits annually. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology hosts its own fully accredited residency program - educating medical, nurse-midwife and nurse practitioner students in a team setting. We are proud to present our thoughts on IPECS and its formative impact on our educators, learners, care providers and patients.