Two suburban hospital groups have combined, creating the third-largest medical system in Illinois.
Officials from NorthShore University Health Systems and Edward-Elmhurst Health announced Wednesday the merger was approved by the Federal Trade Commission and the Illinois Health Facilities & Services Review Board.
“This is the result of a lot of hard work, especially over the last year,” said NorthShore President and CEO J.P. Gallagher. “During the pandemic, I think the industry has seen significant challenges and we’ve also seen how important having a vibrant community network of care is.”
Gallagher will serve as the new system’s president and CEO, while Mary Lou Mastro, current Edward-Elmhurst CEO, will become head of the new system’s south region.
The new health system will initially be known as NorthShore/Edward-Elmhurst Health, but the new system’s board of directors is expected ultimately to create a “new name and brand for the combined entity.”
The merger will combine nine mostly suburban hospitals under one corporate umbrella, six from NorthShore and three from Edward-Elmhurst.
NorthShore operates Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview, Evanston Hospital, Highland Park Hospital, Skokie Hospital and Swedish Hospital in Chicago. Edward-Elmhurst runs Edward Hospital and Linden Oaks Behavioral Health in Naperville as well as Elmhurst Hospital. The nine hospitals account for nearly 2,400 hospital beds in the suburbs and the north side of Chicago.
Additionally, the merger will create a network of more than 300 clinics and other sites of care throughout the suburbs and parts of Chicago, uniting 25,000 employees and producing the second-largest physician network in Illinois, officials said. Combined, the new system will be home to more than 6,000 doctors.
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