Rush Oak Park Hospital patients could gain easier access to specialists and preventive care if a proposed merger between its parent system and Endeavor Health clears federal regulators.

But the benefits could take years to reach the exam room, according to Elyse Cutler, an Oak Park resident with a background in healthcare mergers and acquisitions.

"It makes a ton of business sense," Cutler told the Wednesday Journal. "It fills in the market geography."

Rush University System for Health, the corporate parent of Rush Oak Park Hospital, announced Oct. 14 that it plans to merge with Endeavor Health. If approved, the combined system would include 12 hospitals, more than 400 care sites and over 46,000 employees across northern Illinois and northwest Indiana. The system would operate under the Rush name.

Endeavor Health has pledged $1 billion from its endowment toward the new system. That includes $300 million to reduce healthcare disparities, $500 million for Rush University programs and research, and $200 million for quality improvements, the Chicago Tribune reported.

What it means for Oak Park patients

Cutler said the merger could help patients who split their care between Rush and Endeavor facilities. A unified system would make it easier to coordinate services and "ensure people get the preventative care that they need," she told the Wednesday Journal.

The deal would also fill geographic gaps for Endeavor, which operates nine hospitals in the suburbs and Chicago but lacks a teaching hospital in the city. Rush brings its three hospitals in Chicago, Aurora and Oak Park, plus its medical university.

The merger announcement comes months after West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park suspended patient care operations in March. The village said at the time the suspension followed a reported financial crisis tied to a year-long failure of the hospital's electronic medical records billing system. Village President Vicki Scaman said then that for many residents, "West Sub wasn't just the closest option, it was their only option."

Regulatory hurdles ahead

The two systems hope to close the deal in early 2027, pending regulatory approval. Cutler estimated the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) antitrust review, known as a Hart-Scott-Rodino Review, could push the closing to next summer.

Endeavor president and CEO Gerald "J.P." Gallagher told the Tribune he expects the regulatory process "to go smoothly" and said the systems have already begun discussions with regulators.

Approval is not guaranteed. Endeavor's predecessor, NorthShore University Health System, tried to merge with Advocate Health Care in 2014. The FTC and the Illinois attorney general sued to block that deal, arguing it would give the combined system control of 50% of general acute care inpatient services in northern Cook and Lake counties. A federal judge granted an injunction in March 2017, and the two systems abandoned the merger, the Wednesday Journal reported.

Integration could take years

Even after a deal closes, Cutler warned that patients should not expect overnight changes. She likened hospital systems to battleships and said getting IT systems and administrative infrastructure to work together could take several years.

Gallagher would become president and CEO of the combined system. Rush CEO Dr. Omar Lateef, who had previously announced plans to retire in 2027, would serve as CEO emeritus, the Tribune reported.

The National Nurses Organizing Committee has called on regulators to block any merger that does not guarantee all services are protected. Nurse Brenda Langford, a committee board member, said in a statement that hospital mergers "result in higher prices, service cuts, and other moves to maximize profits," WTTW reported.

A 20-member board with equal representation from both systems would oversee the merged organization.