Press Releases (2011)

Elkhart General Healthcare System and Memorial Hospital and Healthcare System Make Significant Progress toward Final Affiliation Agreement
July 29, 2011

Elkhart/South Bend, IN – Work toward a final binding affiliation agreement between Elkhart General Healthcare System and Memorial Hospital and Health System is progressing as anticipated.

On March 17, 2011, the two organizations announced that they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to form a new healthcare system which will serve as the new parent company for both healthcare providers.

To date, both parties have made significant progress with the due diligence process, the development of proposed governance documents and the regulatory requirements for such agreements. Representatives from both organizations continue to meet regularly to work through other elements of a complex agreement.

The locally-based healthcare system will further enhance access to high-quality care in Northern Indiana by coordinating clinical services, and interfacing health information between the health system and physicians. This type of partnership will improve the patient experience to a culture that is collaborative and more responsive to the needs of the patient.

This initiative is in response to multiple factors affecting healthcare simultaneously including the shift in patient demographics, healthcare reform and the urgency to reshape the healthcare delivery system. With the landscape of healthcare changing dramatically, there is an opportunity to improve the quality of care by consistently practicing evidence based medicine in a collaborative model of care, and simplify the care process for patients.

The Board of Directors for the new system entity will include an equal number of Board Members from each organization which will be comprised of a total of ten (10) community representatives and four (4) practicing physicians. For the first two years, a member of the Elkhart General Hospital Board of Directors will serve as Chairman of the new system.

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