Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and Cadence Health Reach Definitive Agreement to Combine Health Systems

CHICAGO and WINFIELD, Ill., May 15, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The governing boards for Cadence Health and Northwestern Memorial HealthCare (NMHC) approved the definitive agreement to combine the two health systems. Subject to regulatory approvals, the combination would form an integrated academic healthcare delivery system spanning more than 60 sites of care across Chicago and its suburbs, including four hospitals, and more than 4,000 physicians and 17,600 employees.

"Cadence Health is a strong health system with similar Patients First values to Northwestern Medicine® which is why it didn't take long for us to identify the multitude of complementary attributes between our respective organizations," said Dean M. Harrison, NMHC's President and CEO. "Together, we are better positioned to provide care that is safer, more effective, and better coordinated that utilizes the latest breakthrough treatments and is accessible closer to where our patients live and work."

Cadence Health was formed in 2011 following a merger that joined Central DuPage Hospital of Winfield, Ill., and Delnor Hospital of Geneva, Ill. Northwestern Memorial HealthCare is parent to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital of Lake Forest, Ill. and Northwestern Medical Group.  The combined health system will operate under the Northwestern Medicine brand name.  Harrison will remain CEO of the combined health system with Mike Vivoda, the current President and CEO of Cadence Health, serving as its Regional President and NMHC Senior Vice President.

"The opportunity to partner with Northwestern will enhance the offerings of high quality compassionate care in the Chicago's western suburbs," said Vivoda. "We believe this combination will create an integrated approach to patient care, augment a culture of service excellence and enhance and grow our clinical services to continue to position this system as the health care provider of choice."   

About Cadence Health
Cadence Health was formed in March 2011 as a result of the merger between Central DuPage Health System based in Winfield, Ill., and Delnor Community Health System based in Geneva, Ill. Cadence Health is a locally based, locally governed health system focused on delivering excellent health care to the more than 1.1 million patients in Chicago's western suburbs. For seven of the past eight years (2006-2010, 2012, 2013), Central DuPage Hospital (CDH) has been selected by Truven Health Analytics as one of the "100 Top Hospitals in the U.S." Delnor Hospital recently received accreditation by the American College of Surgeon's National Accreditation Program of Breast Centers for the Delnor Center for Breast Health. CDH and Delnor currently maintain affiliations with Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago for pediatric specialty care and Cleveland Clinic for cardiac surgery, adult medical oncology, and cardiology services. Both hospitals have achieved Magnet® recognition for excellence in nursing services from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Cadence Health employs more than 7,600 professionals providing care across an interdependent network of healthcare organizations. Cadence Health also includes Cadence Physician Group, a local network of more than 275 primary care physicians and specialists on the medical staff at CDH or Delnor Hospital.

About Northwestern Memorial HealthCare
Northwestern Memorial HealthCare is the parent corporation of Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital, an 894-bed academic medical center hospital; Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, a 201-bed community hospital located in Lake Forest, Illinois; and Northwestern Medical Group, representing over 900 faculty physicians of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Northwestern Memorial is a nursing Magnet hospital, the nation's highest recognition for patient care and nursing excellence. It ranks 6^th in the nation in the U.S. News & World Report  2013 Honor Roll of America's Best Hospitals, which also recognized the hospital in 14 of 16 clinical specialties and rates it as No. 1 in Illinois and Chicago in both its state and metro rankings. For 14 years running, Northwestern Memorial has been rated among the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" guide by Working Mother magazine. The hospital is a recipient of the prestigious National Quality Health Care Award and has been chosen by Chicagoans as the Consumer Choice according to the National Research Corporation's annual survey for 15 consecutive years. 

Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital is also ranked among Illinois' "Best Hospitals" by U.S. News & World Report and has been named the Consumer Choice hospital in Lake and Kenosha counties for nine years in a row by National Research Corporation. Like Northwestern Memorial, Lake Forest Hospital is a Magnet hospital and is rated among the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" guide by Working Mother magazine.  

About Northwestern Medicine®
Northwestern Medicine® is the collaboration between Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine around a strategic vision to transform the future of healthcare. It encompasses the research, teaching and patient care activities of the academic medical center. Sharing a commitment to superior quality, academic excellence and patient safety, the organizations within Northwestern Medicine comprise a combined workforce of more than 18,000 between clinical and administrative staff, medical and science faculty and medical students. The entities involved in Northwestern Medicine remain separate organizations. Northwestern Medicine is a trademark of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and is used by Northwestern University.

SOURCE Northwestern Medicine

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED