Union Hospital to Join Cleveland Clinic Health System

Dover, OH: Union Hospital and Cleveland Clinic have signed a letter of intent for Union Hospital to join the Cleveland Clinic health system.

Representatives of Cleveland Clinic and the Union Hospital Board of Trustees will begin the process to finalize a definitive agreement and seek regulatory approvals so that Union Hospital can become part of Cleveland Clinic no later than Jan. 1, 2018.

Union Hospital

In making the announcement today, the Union Hospital Board of Trustees said it is looking forward to expanding services and resources available through Union Hospital and its affiliated operations throughout the area. Under the guidance and management of Cleveland Clinic, Union has the opportunity to add physicians, grow services and become fiscally stronger.

Cleveland Clinic has a rich history of putting patients first, providing quality healthcare and it continues to develop new relationships with physicians.

“We are very pleased and excited to have our strong, community hospital become a part of the Cleveland Clinic family,” said Robert Horn, chairman of the Union Hospital Board of Trustees. “Our highest priority as a hospital has been and will continue to be to provide high-quality healthcare for our patients right here at Union Hospital. The new ownership will set the stage for new services in our area.”

Cleveland Clinic generated an estimated $8 billion in operating revenue in 2016 and is one of the largest and most recognized hospital systems in the United States, ranking second nationally in the “Best Hospitals” category of the U.S. News & World Report annual ratings. Cleveland Clinic has more than 4,400 patient beds across its system, has a medical staff of more than 15,400 physicians, nurses and scientists, and has more than 51,000 employees.

“We are honored to have been selected as Union Hospital’s partner, and look forward to collaborating with the Union Hospital family to expand access to high-quality, affordable healthcare for the local communities of Dover, New Philadelphia and Tuscarawas, Carroll, and surrounding counties,” said Ann Huston, Cleveland Clinic’s Chief Strategy Officer. “Our goal is to apply the collective resources of Cleveland Clinic and Union Hospital to sustain Union as a clinically vibrant and financially strong community-based healthcare system.”

Cleveland Clinic currently operates 10 regional hospitals in Cuyahoga, Lorain, Medina and Summit counties.

No other details can be released until the definitive agreement is signed by both hospitals, but Union officials are pleased with the proposed terms outlined in the letter of intent, said Bruce James, president and chief executive officer of Union Hospital. It is expected that the details will be finalized in about 90 days, he added.

Union Hospital has had a service partnership agreement in place for several years with Cleveland Clinic through the Clinic’s Telestroke Network, a tele-medicine connection for treatment of stroke patients at the Union Hospital Lauren Emergency Center and Cleveland Clinic’s Cerebrovascular Center.

Union Hospital, like many independent community hospitals across the country, has been challenged over the past several years by operating costs that were increasing at much higher rates than revenues. Last year, the hospital eliminated 20 jobs as part of a $3-million cost-cutting effort. If cost-cutting continued, eventually it would lead to cutbacks in services and more jobs even though the hospital offers one of the best healthcare values in the state, James said.

 

 

About Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation’s best hospitals in its annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 51,000 employees are more than 3,500 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 14,000 nurses, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic’s health system includes a 165-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 10 regional hospitals, more than 150 northern Ohio outpatient locations – including 18 full-service family health centers and three health and wellness centers – and locations in Weston, Fla.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2016, there were 7.1 million outpatient visits, 161,674 hospital admissions and 207,610 surgical cases throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 185 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/ClevelandClinic. News and resources available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.

 

About Union Hospital

Founded in 1906, Union Hospital, located in Dover, Ohio, is an award-winning non-profit, independent, community hospital serving Tuscarawas, Carroll, and surrounding counties in eastern Ohio. Union Hospital has more than 300 providers on its medical staff and employs more than 1,100 people. The hospital provides more than 100 beds and has several off-campus satellite services available and operates a hospital-owned physician network with numerous offices and more than 30 providers.