West Penn Allegheny Health System announced yesterday that it had finalized the merger of Allegheny General Hospital and The Western Pennsylvania Hospital.

The official integration involves a consolidation of the health system's board of directors and the respective boards of AGH and West Penn into a single governing entity.

According to W. Keith Smith, president and chief executive officer, West Penn Allegheny has begun to integrate a number of clinical areas and emphasized the process is being led by physicians working in conjunction with administrative leaders.