Kevin Lofton, CEO of Englewood, Colo.-based Catholic Health Initiatives, and Lloyd Dean, CEO of San Francisco-based Dignity Health, will share their vision for the health systems' impending merger at an event in Chicago this November.
The event, dubbed "Architect of a Merger: A Board Perspective," is hosted by The Leverage Network, a Chicago-based nonprofit working to increase the representation of African-American leaders on healthcare boards.
CHI and Dignity Health's plan to combine into one system marked one of the largest mergers announced in 2017, a year that recorded 115 healthcare transactions — the highest number in recent history and a 13 percent spike from 2016, according to a report from Kaufman, Hall & Associates.
In December 2017, CHI and Dignity Health signed a definitive agreement to form one Catholic health system comprising 139 hospitals across 28 states. The system — which will set up headquarters in Chicago and boast an estimated revenue of $28.4 billion — will be jointly led by Mr. Lofton and Mr. Dean.
Under the agreement, Mr. Lofton will take charge of the organization's mission, advocacy, governance, system partnerships, and health IT initiatives, while Mr. Dean will retain control of all clinical, financial and human resource operations.
At the November event, the two CEOs will discuss how they think their merger will affect the healthcare industry.
"The conversation will be open, candid and unscripted," Antoinette Hardy-Waller, RN, CEO of The Leverage Network and member of the board of stewardship trustees at CHI, told Becker's Hospital Review. "It will be an epic event where attendees will hear first-hand accounts of the largest healthcare merger from the designers themselves, Kevin and Lloyd."
"The event is one of many events hosted by The Leverage Network as part of our 'Power of 3' programming, helping to 'prepare, position and promote' executives for governance roles in healthcare," she added.
To learn more about the event, click here. It is slated for Nov. 6, 5:30-8:30 p.m., at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Admission is free for members of The Leverage Network and $349 for non-members.