Alexian Brothers Health System (ABHS), part of Ascension, and Adventist Midwest Health (AMH), part of Adventist Health System, announced today that they have signed a definitive agreement to form a joint operating company (JOC). Pending regulatory approvals, five ABHS hospitals and four AMH hospitals in suburban Chicago will join together, creating an integrated healthcare system that will serve a combined population of more than 3.8 million people.
The JOC will allow the two separate organizations to preserve their respective religious identities and mission priorities, and to integrate their operations while maintaining separate ownership of their assets. The affiliation will result in a notably diverse physician provider network, bringing together more than 3,000 physicians to offer better coordinated, more comprehensive care for patients.
ABHS and AMH anticipate that their partnership will be finalized by the end of January 2015, following review by appropriate regulatory bodies. The two health systems announced last June that they had signed a non-binding letter of intent to form the JOC. In the months since that announcement, ABHS and AMH engaged in due diligence, culminating in the definitive agreement.
“This is an important milestone in the process of completing the affiliation between our two health systems,” said Mark A. Frey, ABHS President and Chief Executive Officer. The affiliation will enable ABHS to enhance the high-quality care that the system now provides and will extend the system’s reach and strengthen its position in the highly competitive Chicago healthcare market, Frey said.
“At the same time, we will be taking another important step toward ensuring the long-term viability of the Alexian Brothers’ 800-year healing mission,” Frey said.
“This affiliation is an example of Ascension’s strategic commitment to developing regional clinically integrated systems of care as we evolve to provide truly person-centered care for populations,” said Robert J. Henkel, FACHE, Executive Vice President, Ascension, and President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension Health.
David L. Crane, AMH President and Chief Executive Officer, said the affiliation between AMH and ABHS will benefit the communities served by the health systems. “This affiliation will bring to our communities a level of clinical integration for population health that has never existed, providing new healthcare options for our patients,” Crane said. “By joining together, we’ll offer new services and levels of care while reducing costs and enhancing value.”
Although ABHS and AMH represent different faith traditions, they share common missions and values, and this similarity is a key factor in their planned affiliation, Frey and Crane said.
“Both of our health systems are strong, faith-based organizations,” Frey said. “Our values and management style are similar, and we share a charitable mission and a commitment to providing high-quality, person-centered care. Our patients and communities can continue to expect the highest-quality care from Alexian Brothers and Adventist Midwest Health.”
About Alexian Brothers Health System
Alexian Brothers Health System (ABHS) is a diversified Catholic healthcare organization headquartered in Arlington Heights, Ill. ABHS includes five northwest suburban Chicago hospitals and conveniently located outpatient facilities that serve more than 2 million people every year. ABHS exists to care for the sick and promote healing, with special attention to poor and vulnerable persons. Each service is in place to improve quality of life – and to accomplish the Alexian Brothers’ 800-year-old mission of promoting the physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being of all individuals. ABHS is part of St. Louis-based Ascension, the nation’s largest Catholic and non-profit health system, and the third-largest system in the United States. For more information, visit www.alexianbrothershealth.org.
About Adventist Midwest Health
Adventist Midwest Health is comprised of four hospitals located in the Chicago suburbs of Bolingbrook, Glendale Heights, Hinsdale and La Grange. It began more than 100 years ago, when the Hinsdale Sanitarium was founded by Drs. David and Mary Paulson, Seventh-day Adventist physicians who worked with orphans and the poor in Chicago.
Adventist Midwest Health is part of Adventist Health System, a national network of 45 campuses that serves 4.5 million patients annually. Adventist Midwest Health is committed to extending the healing ministry of Christ by meeting patients’ physical, emotional and spiritual needs. For more information, visit www.keepingyouwell.com.
About Ascension
Ascension (www.ascension.org) is a Catholic healthcare organization dedicated to the transformation of healthcare through excellent clinical care throughout the continuum of care and through innovation. Ascension is the nation’s largest Catholic and non-profit health system, providing the highest quality care to all with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Last year, Ascension provided $1.8 billion in care of persons living in poverty and community benefit programs. Its Mission-focused Health Ministries employ more than 153,000 associates serving in more than 1,900 sites of care in 23 states and the District of Columbia. Ascension’s direct subsidiaries provide services that include healthcare delivery, medical equipment management, treasury management, resource and supply management, venture capital investing, physician practice management, and risk management.
Adventist Health System is a faith-based health care organization headquartered in Altamonte Springs, Florida. A national leader in quality, safety and patient satisfaction, Adventist Health System's more than 70,000 employees maintain a tradition of whole-person health by caring for the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of every patient. With 45 hospital campuses and more than 8,300 licensed beds in ten states, Adventist Health System facilities incorporate the latest technological advancements and clinical research to serve more than 4.5 million patients annually. The full continuum of integrated care also includes urgent care centers, home health and hospice agencies, and skilled nursing facilities. Each Adventist Health System facility operates independently in delivering care and services to best meet the needs of the local communities they serve. While each entity is unique, all remain united in one mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ.
