Alexian Brothers Health System, which is part of Ascension Health, and Adventist Midwest Health, which is part of Adventist Health System, are pursuing a possible affiliation between their nine hospitals in suburban Chicago to create an integrated health care system. Alexian Brothers Health System and Adventist Midwest Health said June 17 they signed a nonbinding letter of intent to form a joint operating company.
The joint operating company will allow the organizations to integrate operations while maintaining separate ownership of their assets and preserving their respective faith-based identities and mission priorities. Alexian Brothers Health System is a Catholic nonprofit with five hospitals in the northwest Chicago suburbs, and Adventist Midwest Health is a faith-based nonprofit founded by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church with four hospitals in the western suburbs of Chicago. The systems said the affiliation will bring together more than 3,000 physicians in a provider network and allow for better coordinated, more comprehensive patient care.
Mark A. Frey, president and chief executive of Arlington Heights, Ill.-based Alexian Brothers Health System, said in a statement, "By affiliating with Adventist Midwest Health, we believe we will enhance the high-quality care Alexian Brothers Health System currently provides by extending our reach and strengthening our position in the highly competitive Chicago health care market. 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. This affiliation is also an example of Ascension Health's strategic commitment to developing regional integrated systems of care."
David L. Crane, president and chief executive of Hinsdale, Ill.-based Adventist Midwest Health, said, "Our affiliation will bring a new level of clinical integration for population health to our communities that has never existed before, resulting in new health care options for the patients we serve."
The letter of intent is expected to lead to a definitive agreement. The systems need to obtain regulatory approvals, but seek to have the partnership completed by early fall.
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