CMCH merges with McLaren Health Care; no immediate affiliation changes expected
The merger with Central Michigan Community Hospital and McLaren Health Care won’t prompt any immediate changes to affiliations for CMU’s College of Medicine.
CMCH is one of five medical organizations to enter partnerships with the college since plans to pursue the project were announced in September 2008. Others include MidMichigan Health in Midland, and Covenant Health Care, St. Mary’s of Michigan and Synergy Medical in Saginaw.
“I don’t think it will have any (effect) at all,” said Dr. Ernest Yoder, the college’s dean, of the merger. “Our role is medical education and we are working on partnerships.”
He said there haven’t been any talks between McLaren and the College of Medicine, but didn’t speculate on the future relationship.
CMCH will become the ninth hospital in McLaren’s 29-county health system.
Bill Lawrence, CMCH president and CEO, said he thinks the merger will benefit the College of Medicine.
“We believe our future is tied directly to the university’s medical school,” Lawrence said. “Our commitment to the university and the pending med school is absolutely at the top of the pile and has been from the very first day.”
CMCH was the first hospital to sign an affiliation agreement with the medical college. The merger with McLaren will offer more jobs for residents, incoming medical staff and students, said George Dunn, CMCH Board of Directors chairman.
“The doctors who we recruit to the community will probably have an opportunity to teach at the med school and these emerging student doctors would probably have privilege at our hospital,” Dunn said.
McLaren’s insurance will provide coverage for students who do not have it available in Mount Pleasant, Dunn said.
Lawrence said McLaren is ranked as one of the top 10 health systems in the Midwest. He said he hopes their state-of-the-art technology will help CMCH to grow in the quality of health care services it provides.
“Your physicians will have the opportunity to have information at bedside that they don’t have today,” said Phil Incarnati, president and CEO of McLaren. “It will be consolidated and integrated information to make decisions about the care of loved ones.”
There are no plans to change management for the hospital and no job cuts will be made, Lawrence said. The two hospitals will now begin a three-month integration to determine what is best for CMCH and the community.
“We are absolutely convinced this is the greatest thing we can do with our hospital to ensure comprehensive, high-quality patient safe medical care and health care for our market place,” Dunn said. “We are absolutely delighted and excited.”
