St. Joseph Mercy Health System merging with IHA

Posted on Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 11:35 a.m.

St. Joseph Mercy Health System merging with IHA

By Nathan Bomey

(Note: This story has been updated several times with additional information and interviews.)

St. Joseph Mercy Health System is merging with Ann Arbor-based Integrated Healthcare Associates, executives confirmed this morning.

The East Tower at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Superior Township is one of two facilities that have opened at the hospital within the last two years.

Photo courtesy of St. Joseph Mercy Health System

The merger, which comes after several months of negotiations and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, aligns two of the region's largest health care services providers. Financial details of the merger were not released.

Stephen Shivinsky, vice president of corporate communications and public relations for Trinity Health, the Catholic health care group that oversees St. Joseph Mercy Health System, said employees were being told about the merger this morning and into the afternoon. He said there would be no cuts to staffing levels or physical locations.

Patients with IHA doctors will see little change -- they can continue to visit their doctors, St. Joe hospitals and the University of Michigan hospital.

IHA, whose leadership will be maintained, will be operated as a subsidiary of St. Joseph Mercy Health System. A couple members of SJMHS' board will serve on the IHA board, and a few members of the IHA board will serve on the SJMHS board.

The merger comes as St. Joseph Mercy Health System is actively reconfiguring parts of its health care network.

The organization eliminated the inpatient unit at its Saline hospital in July and cut its family birth center at its hospital in Howell. The decision to focus more on outpatient services was a recognition of the shifting health care environment.

An increased focus on pay-for-performance health care services and additional preventative treatments are driving the industry's future.

Rob Casalou, president and chief executive officer of St. Joseph Mercy Health System’s Ann Arbor, Saline and Howell hospitals, said that the national health care reform bill passed by Congress earlier this year played a role in prompting the merger.

"There is a great opportunity for us to manage care differently, really to move care outside of the hospitals and back into the doctors offices and back into the outpatient arena," Casalou told AnnArbor.com. "We're paying attention to where health care reform is driving us. We said if we wait until 2014 to reshape our health system, big mistake. This is a real proactive move."

St. Joseph Mercy Health System has seven hospitals throughout southeast Michigan, including its Superior Township hospital, which opened new 7-story and 11-story towers over the last two years.

St. Joseph Mercy Health System hospitals have 1,726 beds, five outpatient health centers, five urgent care facilities, some 25 specialty centers, about 2,700 doctors and another 14,000 employees.

IHA, formed in 1994, has some 30 offices with 150 physicians and 700 staff members serving more than 270,000 patients. IHA already had affiliations with St. Joe hospitals and the University of Michigan Health System.

IHA CEO Bill Fileti said the merger was "a terrific outcome" for patients and the community.

"We want to be a fully integrated health system so we can better coordinate care, so we can reduce fragmentation, so we can align priorities, so we can remove communication barriers," Fileti told AnnArbor.com. "It was like a perfect overlap of what they needed to do, what we thought was critically important to do. It is truly a strategic merger with the benefits being synergistic to the community."

IHA has been steadily growing and adding clinical sites over the last several years. The group practice, which more than doubled its number of physicians from about 2002 to 2007 and has added another 18 over the last three years, is headquartered at Domino's Farms in Ann Arbor Township. IHA's 270,000 patients is up 23,000 from a year ago. IHA had 220,000 patients in 2006.

This atrium is part of a new patient tower at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Superior Township.

File photo | AnnArbor.com

IHA's wide-ranging services include cardiology, gynecology, family medicine, neurology, nutrition, pediatrics and some surgery.

Casalou and Fileti said they expect IHA's footprint to continue growing.

"By combining our resources we can accelerate IHA's growth, their access, how many doctors they have, their locations," Casalou said. "They're going to grow with us. As IHA gets larger, the community benefits from that."

Fileti said IHA's original vision was to grow to 350 physicians and nurses and 1,500 additional staff members by 2019. But he suggested that goal could be pushed ahead to 2014 to meet demand created by the health care bill and retiring baby boomers.

SJMHS indicated that it would use the merger to integrate more doctors into its leadership.

Casalou emphasized that the merger between SJMHS and IHA would not have a negative impact on the U-M Health System. He said SJMHS executives met with U-M executives on Monday to inform them of merger. IHA patients will still be able to visit the U-M Hospital.

"IHA will continue to be a good partner to them and we will continue to be a good partner as we discuss our opportunities together," Casalou said. "This is not at all going to be to the detriment of the University of Michigan."

Kara Gavin, a spokeswoman for the U-M Health System, released a statement calling SJMHS and IHA "two of our closest regional partners."

"We look forward to continuing the longstanding relationships we have with both IHA and St. Joseph Mercy Health System, and have been assured that they intend to do the same," Gavin said. "Indeed, we are embarking on several initiatives that will bring our institutions closer together. All of us have a strong commitment to the health of our regional population, and to serving patients through a broad range of primary and specialty care in a number of locations.

"We wish our colleagues well as they pursue the formation of an integrated health care system similar to the one that the U-M Hospitals and Health Centers, and the U-M Medical School’s Faculty Group Practice, have had for a very long time."

Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's newsletters.

Comments

Evergreen

Fri, Oct 8, 2010 : 10:14 a.m.

My family doctor is IHA, a wonderful "counrty Doctor" manners and great staff. But IHA is like a 9-5 business. I am comfortable with the people, but not the business plan, when our health is concerned. So we drive from Moilan to A2 or Ypsi and previously to Saline when we had medical emergencies. I was hoping it was St. Joe's buying out IHA, and maybe one day we could have 24 hour Emergency Care in Milan.

Milton Shift

Fri, Oct 8, 2010 : 9:46 a.m.

You're right, spoonfeeding (of executives, politicians, shareholders) is not acceptable and people need to rise to life's challenges: workers need to rise up and take back what is theirs. We absolutely can afford to treat everyone's medical problems, and in fact, we could do much, much more. We could close down all of the insurance companies, never pay a penny out of pocket, and use the Medicaid/Medicare budget to model a system off the French one (single payer, #1 quality in the world) AND save money. What we can't afford is the rich sitting on their butts robbing us blind while throwing a huge chunk of our economic output into blowing apart the economic output of others. The top 1% take home 40% of the income, the bottom 40% take home less than 1%.

grye

Fri, Oct 8, 2010 : 7:58 a.m.

Milton: I agree that if someone wants a nose job, lasik, hair transplant (although I could use it), these types of cosmetic surgeries should be covered by the individual. But covering everyone the same for any medical situation is not financially feasible. It would be great to have this luxury, but no one can explain how it would be covered. My tiered option is not arrogant. Just realistic. Any other insurance is applied by the amount you want to pay. Sure, there are many hard working individuals working in a warehouse 80 hours a week who earn less than the CEO. The pay for professional athletes is ridiculous. Teachers are sorely underpaid. But you can't control everything. Life sometimes isn't fair. Individuals need to rise to overcome life's obstacals. Spoon feeding everyone is not the answer to our problems. The best economy and country in world did not succeed by making all things equal.

Milton Shift

Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 5:03 p.m.

Elective surgery, boob jobs, etc. of course should come from someone's own pocket. Everything else, yes, should be the same. Are you suggesting that someone who inherits a lot of money and has a very expensive disease to treat is more important than that of a couple thousand poor, hard working eople who have easily treatable, but otherwise terminal, diseases? Bit arrogant, I'd say, to suggest that one's life is worth more than another's solely based on the level of power they hold in society. And those who work the hardest are paid the least. The cush administration jobs pay very well and are a complete joke; those working in retail, warehouses, factories, and crop picking in particular work very, very hard with very little pay, no benefits, and no future. Even scientists who come up with the technological breakthroughs that make our lives possible are paid crappy wages and work insane hours - 80 a week minimum. Ask any post-doc just how amazing their pay is. Getting a PhD entails a lot more work and a lot more brains than becoming some penthouse moneyman.

grye

Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 7:30 a.m.

Milton: Are you suggesting that everyone receive the same level of health care? Should elective surgery be provided free to everyone or should those with disposable income who want additional coverage pay for a premium coverge? What about everything else? Should we all receive the same pay, have the same house, drive the same car? Where does this stop? Those who choose to work harder than others(some will not work at all)will have better, nicer things. If you disagree, then your model would doom this country and our economy.

ypsigirl

Thu, Oct 7, 2010 : 1:31 a.m.

I work at University of Michigan hospitals. I received a letter about a month ago stating that we would no longer be offered Priority Health-the replacement for Care Choices-due to lack of employee participation. The only choice I have, order to keep my predominately IHA doctors, is to pick HAP at a considerably higher premium. I wonder if this merger had anything to do with the decision to drop Priority Health? I am currently paying about $250 every two weeks for my health insurance and will have to pay about $60 more a month for HAP. If I choose another plan, I MUST align with University of Michigan doctors and use their facilities exclusively. I have had some of my physicians for 30+ years and am not eager to change. I also have a chronically ill husband who would have to change all his doctors. I have always received excellant care at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and from the doctors who practice there. It is really traumatic for people to have to change their medical providers. Continuity of care is very important as any healthcare provider can tell you.

Milton Shift

Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 1:26 p.m.

grye, that will result in what is known as two tier health care: public funding for the basic coverage will be continually cut until it's not even enough to keep you alive when you fall ill, and the private system, funded by rich people whose pockets are lined with the unpaid labor of others, replaces it. The rich and the powerful - namely, those who get to run these programs - have to be in the same boat as the rest of us, or they will have nothing but incentives to trick us into accepting cutbacks and the ensuing preventable deaths.

boomer

Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 1:17 p.m.

Nothing Rob Casalou has touched in the Trinity Health System has ever benefited the employee much less the consumer. Look at Saline, you lost your community hospital and displaced Saline nurses now have jobs with campus SJMH against their will along with the community having nothing more than an Urgent Care Center. Howell lost their birthing center and now have to drive 45minutes to have their babies. BE VERY AFRAID CHELSEA, the barracudas are after your community hospital next. This IHA merger will bring other increased cost somewhere down the line, its not to stay ahead of the coming healthcare, its to line the gloated heaviness of the CEO< COO of the Trinity Corporations pockets!! Its certainly not passed on to the front line employees who have lost so many benefits over the years.

grye

Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 12:26 p.m.

Don't get me wrong. I would prefer a single payer health program or some multi-level contractor bid system, but not one strictly run by he govt. If anyone can screw it up, they can. We would be better off with a 3 tiered health system where everyone is covered with a low level health plan. Medium and high coverage could be personally purchased or provided through an employer. Companies would bid by level and region to provide coverage. The govt would put out an RFP for bids, just as the Dept of Defense and other agencies do for products and services. The companies with the best cost and program would win the contract. No govt agency running the program day in and day out. If someone thinks this is unfair, then should we all have 55" TVs and drive a Mercedes Benz? (or whatever the govt says we can have) My beef is the amount of govt interference with industries. The govt should not restrict the amount of profit a company makes. When consumers stop purchasing products or services, prices will drop or cheaper competition will pop up. Does this happen overnight? Probably not. But I would rather have healthy competition over stringent govt controlled costs. As someone else added; regulate what next? Clothing? Appliances? Food? Furniture? In which regulated business would you want work and earn only the salary afforded you by the govt regulated prices?

grye

Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 12:25 p.m.

grye

Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 11:53 a.m.

Milton Shift

Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 11:22 a.m.

gyre, the "free" market does not work that way. Go to another doctor doesn't work when the "free" market sets rates or standards that are unacceptable to you no matter what. Price wars are not an everyday reality of capitalism. Both parties lose, so everyone quietly agrees to fix prices, whether or not it happens in a closed door meeting. The only time price wars typically begin is when a company has a massive edge over another in terms of capital and can afford to drive the other out of their market. They then jack their prices through the roof and enjoy their monopoly status.

krc

Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 10:34 a.m.

I had Care Choices and my GYN wanted to put me on low-dose estrogen to regulate my cycle, but they refused to pay. I don't know what St. Joes/IHA policy is, but St. Joes is a Catholic hospital and everyone knows the Catholic stance on birth control/abortion. I wonder what this means for IHA doctors. I am past that stage in my life now and don't need birth control but I wonder: will their relationship with IHA and UMMC mean that SJMH can force this on them and prevent birth control counseling for their patients?

grye

Wed, Oct 6, 2010 : 7:32 a.m.

Making a profit is what keeps businesses in business. If someone is concerned that they may not be getting the appropriate health care they want or need, go to another doctor. If you think a TV is substandard, will you still buy it or look at other manufacturer? Govt can't regulate everything.

AlphaAlpha

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 9:17 p.m.

"Is there a problem with making money off of health care?" Absolutely not. Many people become doctors to earn high incomes. However, a lack of fair competition, is a problem. A big problem. The medical business lacks competition. This is due in large part to excellent lobbyists working for Big Med. With more competition, costs would drop, and service would improve. Regrettably, the recent health laws do little to foster competition. Mr. Bomey - This so-called merger has all the appearance of a simple acquisition, not a merger per se. I.e., it appears SJMHS bought IHA, plain and simple. Also, contrary to Mr. Shivinsky's statement, you can be sure Trinity will reduce 'overlapping' staff wherever they possibly can. Even the 'non-profits' need to turn a profit, else they be purchased or closed.

Milton Shift

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 8:48 p.m.

Never heard of a monopoly position that wasn't exploited for profit, driving up costs for everyone. Non-profits still can be fueled by greed: instead of paying out dividends, they give out bonuses to overpaid administrators.

Lehigh

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 7:43 p.m.

The future of health care is in Accountable Care Organizations (ACO's): http://cms.gov/officeoflegislation/downloads/accountablecareorganization.pdf. What HMO's were to the 90's, ACO's will be to the 10's. A huge determinant of all health care spending is CMS, the center for Medicaid and Medicare services. They decide what the government will reimburse hospitals for various procedures. It's a bare minimum, but most private insurers will follow the same pattern (albeit at higher reimbursement rates than CMS). When CMS decides how to reimburse a procedure, it has huge effects on how a hospital runs its business. Hospitals have tons of infrastructure and overhead and liability, which makes many of them unprofitable. That's one reason for the move to 'ambulatory' surgery centers (generally, outpatient procedures). One reason is because insurers don't reimburse hospitals at a sufficient cost to cover overnight stays, so health providers are pushing customers into ambulatory settings. And just like GM wants to sell you a Chevy when you're young, a Cadillac when you're middle aged, and a Buick when you're older, health providers are buying up the entire health care chain, from doctor's offices to labs to ambulatory centers to hospitals to aftercare. One company controlling the experience usually leads to better cost controls for the provider. So while we may not be moving to a single payer system, we will be moving to a much less fragmented health care system.

dextermom

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 7:29 p.m.

I agree with Tru2Blu76 so won't repeat all of that... BUT for all of you as healthcare consumers: As far as whether you can still go to the UofM if you want for your health care, be sure you have insurance that will cover you at UofM, if referrals are needed, preauthorizaton, etc. This is the kind of thing that gets very complicated as things change, ie independence to affiliation. Another reason a single payer would make it so much easier to get healthcare (and cheaper as we cut out another level of bureaucracy that has all kinds of noncare providers figuring out the bills.

Mick52

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 5:45 p.m.

I highly doubt St Joe's hospital is in profit motive mode unless it is to pay off loans that built the hospital. As for single payer systems, they do not work and deliver one thing in particular, low quality care. Many countries in Europe who have it are looking at our system as a remedy. Odd, I thought everyone knew this. You rarely hear anyone recommending it single payer anymore because it is so poor. The bottom line is HC is expensive and cannot be made inexpensive. Govt assistance will require a tax increase the majority of Americans will not tolerate.

michigan48103

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 4:51 p.m.

if they are not owned by the nuns any more they can do birth control now, it was only because the Nuns were on the board of directors and they would put a stop to the pill, but now they can it looks like unless your Doctor is Catholic, most of them are Jewish or Hindo, so the Doctor will be happy with the new change

DagnyJ

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 4:26 p.m.

I do know that St. Joes and docs will not perform any kind of termination of pregnancy. Don't know about prescribing birth control pills or morning after pills.

judy FUQUA

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 4:22 p.m.

I had an Iha doc and could never see him- had to take what was available- always some other doc and sometimes a practicioner I finally gave up and found a doc who would know my name. Tired of being an unknown and random patient.

michigan48103

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 4:18 p.m.

it means that the price of st joes will go higher and higher and the rate of pay for the workers will be lower. My sister has blue cross and had surgery, out pt and she still has to pay over $2,500.00 to st. joes. she only makes around 20 thousand per year. she also had a surgery canceled and her blue cross was charged for a full surgery and the st joes did cancel the operation. That is what is going on with health care and the retirement at st joes is not good, any sure that has retired can tell you that no insurance until you get on medicare

5c0++ H4d13y

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 4:13 p.m.

There is little doubt that health care is the most bizarre market out there now when it comes to the essentials of life. Is it any wonder it has increasing costs? Someone tell me how much it costs to cure pneumonia, cure prostate cancer or get a few stitches in an ER? Anyone here could give me three estimates for laser eye surgery or a nose job by tomorrow. These are technical procedures paid out of pocket that have the price come down and the access increased because of a free market. Many want to stick their fingers in their ears and repeat "hope, change, yes we can" when confronted with the realities of health care reform. Increase prices, increased premiums, market consolidation, fewer plan options, reduced benefits higher taxes, bogus cost estimation. It makes you look just as silly and out of touch as the republicans did years ago.

dading dont delete me bro

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 4:04 p.m.

does this mean i will get one less bill? instead of one from sjmh AND iha?

Bob Needham

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 3:41 p.m.

(2 off-topic comments removed)

jns131

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 3:39 p.m.

Pam? Re read the story line. It says that anyone with these hospitals and IHA can continue to keep their doctors. As for cuts in health care and mergers? Welcome to Obama care. Where you will pay 3% in taxes in 3 years to pay for this mess. Everyone is consolidating why not the hospitals?

Anita

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 3 p.m.

I would love to know if they are going to have something again to s smoking.I was enrolled in the class,but it was closed down before i finished.Would greatly appreciate if you do!!! THANKS

KJMClark

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 2:57 p.m.

5co - "The World Health Organization (WHO), in 2000, ranked the U.S. health care system as the highest in cost, first in responsiveness, 37th in overall performance, and 72nd by overall level of health (among 191 member nations included in the study)." and "The Health and Human Services Department expects that the health share of GDP will continue its historical upward trend, reaching 19.5% of GDP by 2017." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_the_United_States) If we had a farmer's union that set strict quotas for the number of people allowed to become farmers each year, so that food expenditures were headed toward 20% of GDP, while 13% of the population couldn't buy food, and we had some of the worst nutrition problems in the developed world, I would say that situation was a problem that we should change. I don't know about single payer, but 16% of GDP, heading toward 20% in half a decade?

Rocky Eugene

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 2:51 p.m.

Interesting thought, "There will be tremendous pressure placed on physicians to NOT provide appropriate care that might cause a reduction in the profitability of the health insurance company." Does anyone really believe this is contrary to the American way. This situation has been part of the equation since the beginning of insurance. One pays a fee, as in an HMO, with the patient (customer) paying some incidental co-pay. Should the cost of providing services exceed the fee paid (base price + co-pay) then the insurer (e.g., HMO) loses money. During the process the insurer fights to keep costs under the revenue received. This is the institutionalized "death panels" that certain people feel was part of Obamacare, which incidentally has always been part of the insurance industry's method of containing costs. As customers of the health care industry funded through an insurance industry checkbook, we all need to understand that there are limits to what will be delivered in terms of services. There is no free lunch and decisions have to be made as to how much care will be provided. If more care is desired then someone pays for it and generally the answer has been someone else. At the end of the day the resources are finite and so is how much care will be provided.

Mibroker

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 2:50 p.m.

@dogpaddle...This is getting way off topic, but many farming subsidies are in place to increase prices by actually paying farmers to NOT farm land. Its been happening for years.

dogpaddle

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 2:29 p.m.

In due respect to 5co..., when the price of food, clothing and shelter becomes so astronomical that no one except the extremely wealthy can afford them, when more of the what was middle class has to spend more and more of their paycheck to paycheck on those necessities (as we have health care) then, yes, we would need food, clothing and shelter reform. And in some ways we get those. It's called subsidized farming, USDA, beef and dairy lobbies, etc. And, to make clothing affordable to all, it went overseas. In the 60s, 95% of clothing was made in the USA. Now it's under 10%. And I won't even bother commenting on our recent housing crisis. So, yes, while I don't agree with every aspect of our new health care reform, we do need something and we need it NOW!

samshoe

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 2:15 p.m.

Some of these comments concern me. I just want to state that I have IHA doctors for me and my child and we have always received excellent care.

5c0++ H4d13y

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 2:12 p.m.

@Edward R Murrow's Ghost Is it wrong for a farmer to make money farming, a carpenter to make money building a house or a seamstress to make money sewing clothes? Or are they all just greedy merchants making money off of food, shelter and clothing? Should we implement single payer for food, housing and clothing?

Rob Ranna

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 1:40 p.m.

"There will be tremendous pressure placed on physicians to NOT provide appropriate care that might cause a reduction in the profitability of the health insurance company." I believe Healthcare reform means that physicians will be paid on performance...meaning they have a responsibilty to keep their patients healthy if they want to get paid... And, yes Care Choices has been gone for quite some time.

SonnyDog09

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 1:33 p.m.

"Yes, there is, especially when the health insurer and the health-care provider are one and the same, as will be the case for those IHA customers who have Care Choices as their health insurance." There you go again. Trinity Health sold the insurance company several years ago.

DBH

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 1:31 p.m.

CareChoices insurance no longer exists.

KaceeB

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 1:18 p.m.

After the merger, will IHA doctors still be able to prescribe birth control for their patients, or will SJMH's Catholic doctrine deny that freedom for IHA's patients?

grye

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 12:52 p.m.

Is there a problem with making money off of health care?

Alysia

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 12:34 p.m.

yep.

DagnyJ

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 12:33 p.m.

This has nothing to do with health reform. This is about making money off healthcare

Nathan Bomey

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 12:31 p.m.

I am currently adding more details from the press release, and it mentions the role of health care reform. Here's what I added: >>Rob Casalou, president and chief executive officer of St. Joseph Mercy Health Systems Ann Arbor, Saline and Howell hospitals, said that the national health care reform bill passed by Congress earlier this year played a role in prompting the merger. >>"The merger will enable us to better prepare for rapid changes in health care delivery and financing stimulated by national health reform and lead to better coordinated care for our patients," Casalou said in a statement.

Nathan Bomey

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 12:26 p.m.

Pam, I just received the press release, which indicates that the U-M affiliation will not change. I added this to the story: >>A news release indicated that IHA's affiliation with U-M would not be changed by the merger as IHA and SJMHS are "accelerating affiliations and joint ventures with the University of Michigan Health System." >>"We view the University as our primary academic health system partner," said Mike Slubowski, Trinity Healths president of health networks, in a statement. "We hope to collaborate on a full range of services and programs, such as pediatrics and medical education and the improvement of patient-centered primary and specialty care services."

Alysia

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 12:17 p.m.

Agreed. You couldn't have said it better "somewhat concerned". These mergers make for goliath companies and rid of the individual ones that St. Joes use to be.

Somewhat Concerned

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 12:11 p.m.

The so-called healthcare reform that was passed does little other than put cost pressures on providers. If you expect better or less expensive healthcare, you are going to be very disappointed. Expect more mergers like this one and more cutbacks. Don't expect much else.

PittsfieldTwp

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 11:55 a.m.

My physician is with IHA and I use St Joe for hosptital services. This merger makes sense to me as a patient. I would rank my experiences with St Joe higher than IHA. Hopefully the Trinity Health policy will trump IHA in the deficiencies.

5c0++ H4d13y

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 11:52 a.m.

Is this what people wanted from health care reform?

Alysia

Tue, Oct 5, 2010 : 11:39 a.m.

This makes me nervous. I'm an R.N and when i was about to interview for an IHA position at a clinic they wanted to cut my pay $6/hr from what i was making at HFHS. I'm currently about to get a position at St. Joes too. This makes me very nervous.