(WXYZ) — Two of Michigan's largest healthcare providers are planning a merger. Beaumont Health in southeast Michigan and Spectrum Health in West Michigan announced they have signed a letter of intent to explore creating a new health system.
Spectrum has 14 hospitals throughout West Michigan and Beaumont has eight hospitals throughout metro Detroit.
According to the organizations, the temporary legal name will be BHSH System and will be led by Tina Freese Decker, who is the president & CEO of Spectrum Health. John Fox, who is currently the president & CEO of Beaumont, plans to leave the organization following the merger.
In 2014, Beaumont merged with Oakwood Hospital and Botsford Hospital for $3.8 billion.
“Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health are leaders in our respective markets, and by bringing together our organizations to create a new system, we have the opportunity to deliver greater value in high-quality and affordable health care to our communities,” Spectrum Health President & CEO Tina Freese Decker said. “Together, we can provide a more personalized experience that prioritizes individuals’ health while also attracting and retaining great talent to our vibrant communities.”
The new organization will be led by a 16-member board of directors with seven seats appointed by each health system, the president & CEO of the merged system and a new board member to be appointed later.
In all, there will be 22 hospitals, 305 outpatient locations and more than 64,000 team members in the merged company. There will be two headquarters – one in Grand Rapids and one in Southfield.
The plan is for the merger to be complete by fall.
