Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and Cadence Health® Pursue Merger

CHICAGO and WINFIELD, Ill., March 13, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Cadence Health® and Northwestern Memorial HealthCare (NMHC) announced today that they have signed a Letter of Intent to enter a period of exclusive discussions to form an integrated academic healthcare delivery system.  Cadence Health is corporate parent to Central DuPage Hospital and Delnor Hospital, and NMHC is parent to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital.

"Cadence Health is one of Illinois' premier healthcare systems serving patients throughout Chicago's surrounding communities," says Dean M. Harrison, NMHC President and CEO, who would continue to lead the combined health system. "A merger of our health systems would combine Cadence Health's strong portfolio of primary and specialty care with our strength as one of the nation's leading academic medical centers, to create a preeminent integrated academic health system that benefits all residents, regardless of their ability to pay, by giving them increased access to physicians, clinical trials and Northwestern University research programs as well as integrated primary, secondary and advanced tertiary services."

The new health system will operate under the Northwestern Medicine® brand name and its governance will include equal representation from Cadence Health and NMHC.

"We believe this merger will create a multi-regional health system focused on the singular vision of providing high quality care with an unwavering patient focus," said Mike Vivoda, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cadence Health, who will become the Regional President for NMHC.

NMHC and Cadence share a patient-centered culture with a commitment to excellence, quality and transparency that includes:

• Northwestern Memorial Hospital distinguished by its Nurse Magnet^® designation, its standing as the most preferred hospital in Chicago, and its ranking on the US News and World Report Honor Roll of America's Best Hospitals as the 6th ranked hospital in the nation with 12 nationally-ranked specialties and its ranking as No.1 in Illinois and No.1 in the Chicago metro;
• Central DuPage Hospital distinguished as one of the "100 Top Hospitals," as ranked by Truven Health Analytics and by its Nurse Magnet designation;
• Delnor Hospital distinguished by its Nurse Magnet designation and exceptional reputation for providing excellent and compassionate services;
• Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital distinguished as the leading provider of healthcare in Lake County for its US News ranking as No. 21 in Illinois, No. 19 in the Chicago metro and distinguished by its Nurse Magnet designation; and
• Northwestern Medical Group, the faculty practice plan for the faculty of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine; Northwestern Memorial Physicians Group; and Cadence Physician Group; each of which is comprised of dedicated providers seeking exceptional clinical outcomes for the patients we are privileged to serve.

Due to the confidential nature of the discussion, additional details are not available at this time.

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 7,400 professionals providing care across an interdependent network of healthcare organizations. Cadence Health also includes Cadence Physician Group, a local network of more than 250 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 and Northwestern 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.

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 Memorial HealthCare