South Haven (Mich.) Health System will pursue a partnership with the Bronson Healthcare system, based in Kalamazoo, Mich., which could result in SHHS joining Bronson.
After soliciting offers for a strategic healthcare partner, SHHS board members and administration selected Bronson. Over the coming months, both parties will work to develop a letter of intent and conduct due diligence.
Once terms for an agreement are reached, the transaction will be subject to regulatory approvals and will also require a public vote to remove SHHS from the hospital authority. If the ballot request is approved by voters, citizens in the communities that make up the authority will no longer have to pay taxes to support SHHS.
Bronson and SHHS have worked together for more 30 years. SHHS is already connected to Bronson's EHR system and contracts with Bronson for pathology services and hospitalists, according to a MiBiz report.
Bronson President and CEO Frank Sardone told MiBiz the exact form of a partnership is still to be determined, although "it will be a significant combination of the organizations" that goes beyond an affiliation agreement.
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