Saint Anthony's Health System in Alton, Ill., has signed a letter of intent to become an affiliate of Peoria, Ill.-based OSF Healthcare System.
The organizations will conduct due diligence during the next few months, and a decision about moving forward with the affiliation is expected later this year, according to a news release. Mother M. Regina Pacis, chairman of the Saint Anthony's board, said in the release that the affiliation will ensure access to quality care and allow Saint Anthony's to offer a greater variety of specialty services and recruit new physicians.
Sister M. Mikela, president and CEO of Saint Anthony's, said the demands of healthcare reform also drove the decision to join OSF. "We've succeeded as a community hospital providing high quality outcomes for those to whom we deliver care," she said in the release. "Yet, we recognize that joining a larger integrated delivery system would be beneficial for the long term, given the changing health care landscape."
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