Aramark Healthcare+ and University of Pennsylvania Health System Announce Systemwide Partnership
Two leading Philadelphia-based organizations will work together to streamline key healthcare support services
Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) today announced a new multi-year agreement beginning in early 2026 to provide patient and retail food, environmental services, patient transportation, and an integrated call center to support these operations at sites across the nearly 4,000-bed, seven-hospital system.
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Aramark and the University of Pennsylvania Health System announced a new multi-year agreement beginning in early 2026 to provide patient and retail food, environmental services, patient transportation, and an integrated call center to support these operations at sites across the nearly 4,000-bed, seven-hospital system.
"We are honored to partner with a world-renowned health system that is such an integral part of what makes the Philadelphia area great. This collaboration is truly a benefit for the region and for the thousands of patients, visitors, and employees we'll be able to serve together each year," said Marc Bruno, Aramark's U.S. Chief Operating Officer. "This opportunity represents the second largest contract in the company's history, and the largest in the U.S., and we are proud to put our understanding of the sophisticated needs of a complex healthcare system to work in new settings."
"Food, environmental, and other supportive services are a core part of the experience patients and their families have in our facilities each day, and we're excited to work with Aramark, which is aligned with our mission, to ensure that every touchpoint – from the nourishing food patients eat and the personal touches they find in a freshly cleaned room – meets the highest standards," said UPHS Chief Operating Officer Michele Volpe. "As we reimagine the way we work across our whole system, being able to work with a partner like Aramark is a powerful way to unify and coordinate our work."
Among the technologies Aramark will offer are its AI-driven patient menu platform that configures patient meals based on their diagnosis and dietary requirements and proven robotic applications for both environmental services and meal preparation. Aramark's proprietary AIWX platform will be used to map staffing and other needs, as well as the company's quick eats micro markets and mobile ordering platforms.
"We are proud to have been chosen by the UPHS to support its strategy to further integrate and streamline operations across its system," said Bart Kaericher, President of Aramark Healthcare+. "Our hospitality will be paired with our innovative technology platforms to better align with the needs of both inpatient and outpatient operations across UPHS, and to elevate the overall patient experience."
About Aramark
Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) proudly serves the world's leading educational institutions, Fortune 500 companies, world champion sports teams, prominent healthcare providers, iconic destinations and cultural attractions, and numerous municipalities in 16 countries around the world with food and facilities management. Because of our hospitality culture, our employees strive to do great things for each other, our partners, our communities, and the planet.
About Penn Medicine
Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service.
The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn's Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $580 million awarded in the 2023 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of "firsts" in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Doylestown Health, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.9 billion enterprise powered by nearly 49,000 talented faculty and staff.
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Aramark:
Chris Collom
Aramark, Vice President of Corporate Communications
[email protected]
215-238-3593
Penn Medicine:
Holly Auer, MBE (she/her/hers)
Associate Vice President for Communications
Perelman School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania Health System
Cell: 215-200-2313
Email: [email protected]
PennMedicine.org/news