On May 14, 2013 MedCentral signed a Letter of Intent with OhioHealth to become the larger non-profit’s regional hub. MedCentral had been planning to join another institution for some time now because they recognize significant changes to the healthcare landscape.
Before signing with OhioHealth, MedCentral considered joining with Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center and University Hospitals in the Cleveland area.
“We didn’t want to become anything less than what we already are in the changes we are experiencing in healthcare,” said David Eichinger, chairman of the MedCentral Board of Trustees. “What we already are is ‘Expert-care close to home.’ With this agreement we really had that in mind because we wanted to continue our motto and protect the employee base.”
MedCentral has been affiliated with OhioHealth since 2010, but this agreement will formalize their business relations by merging both companys’ assets and resources. According to FORTUNE, OhioHealth is ranked 69 this year in the top 100 Best Companies to Work For and has been on this list since 2007. When this agreement is finalized, OhioHealth will become MedCentral’s parent organization, like it is to many other hospitals in Ohio.
The plan includes construction of a new 140,000-square-foot medical office building, and the addition of 12 needed surgery suites. These constructional projects will not create new medical jobs for either hospitals, but instead will protect the jobs of the employees already in place.
MedCentral has a staff of over 2,400 and more than 200 physicians and that will not change. Leadership and administration is anticipated to stay the same as well. OhioHealth spans a 40-county area and is comprised of about 20,000 associates, physicians and volunteers.
The agreement, which is projected to be completed by the end of this year, will also include more than $50 million in capital improvements for MedCentral.
We didn’t want to become anything less than what we already are in the changes we are experiencing in healthcare. What we already are is ‘Expert-care close to home.’ With this agreement we really had that in mind because we wanted to continue our motto and protect the employee base.