Genesis Health System has officially joined MercyOne, adding its six medical centers, 100 other care sites and all other interests and operations to the Catholic system’s collection, per a Wednesday announcement.
The Midwest nonprofits had announced they would be moving forward with a “strategic partnership” nearly half a year ago. Prior to that, Genesis’ board gave the go-ahead to explore a partnership in December 2021.
Genesis is active in eastern Iowa and western Illinois’ Quad Cities region, while West Des Moines, Iowa-based MercyOne’s 16 hospitals are located throughout its home state. Trinity Health, MercyOne’s parent, is among the largest systems in the country with 88 hospitals in 26 states.
“We are excited to welcome Genesis to MercyOne and look forward to shaping a framework to enhance access to personalized, convenient health care across Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois,” Bob Ritz, president and CEO at MercyOne, said in a press release.
Genesis President and CEO Doug Cropper previously said that the organization was searching for “a partner willing to make significant investments in Genesis that will enhance our ability to grow, thrive and deliver more seamless integrated care in our region.”
Other previous statements underscored that the nonprofit wasn’t in a place of financial need and touted the strong cultural fit between Genesis and MercyOne.
As part of MercyOne, Genesis will be able to leverage the skill, talent and scale of national and regional resources while retaining our local leadership and focus,” Cropper said in Wednesday’s announcement. “We will deepen our commitment to quality, safety and patient experience and strengthen our workforce retention and recruitment efforts.”
Work to integrate the two systems is ongoing, according to the announcement, during which “patients can expect the same quality care from the providers they know and trust.”
The deal has ramifications for the Genesis Health Services Foundation and Genesis Philanthropy, two charities run by Genesis Health System.
The former, which is active in the greater Quad Cities region, will remain a part of the merged Genesis-MercyOne system. The latter, which helps those in eastern Iowa and western Illinois, is being spun out with a $40 million investment as an independent organization called the Better Health Foundation. It will be “fully operational” July 1.
Pre-merger, MercyOne saw 3.3 million patients across its more than 400 centers and care sites per year, generating more than $3 billion in combined annual revenue. Its parent company Trinity reported annual operating revenue of $20.2 billion in 2021.