Beth Israel Hospital may join Affiliated Hospitals, Inc., which includes the Robert Breck Brigham Hospital, the Hospital for Women and the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital.

Dr. Eugene Braunwald, chief of medicine at Affiliated Hospitals, Inc., may become chief of a juncture of the two Harvard-affiliated medical facilities.

Merger

Daniel C. Tosteson, dean of the Medical School, and the trustees of both facilities are presently considering the appointment, which would be the first of its kind at Harvard, S. James Adelstein, dean for academic programs at the Medical School, said yesterday.

A Beth Israel search committee recommended Braunwald to succeed Dr. Franklin H. Epstein, who announced his resignation as the hospital's chief of medicine last year to take a sabbatical, Adelstein said.

Deeper

Mitchell T. Rabkin, general director of Beth Israel, said yesterday, "The creation of a single department of medicine would give both facilities a broader base and a greater depth of services than they could ever muster on their own.

"Because this type of consolidation is unprecedented, everyone was a little shocked when the idea was first brought forth," Rabkin said. However, he added that the rationale behind the proposal was sound.

Share and Share Alike

Rabkin said facilities would be "able to share resources in a time when resources are harder and harder to acquire." Each would still be able to maintain its individuality, he added.

"The Beth Israel has a strong tradition of community interest with many private practitioners, while Affiliated has a strong tradition of full-time academicians," Rabkin said.