FAQ: Sherman - Advocate Partnership Announcement

10-23-2012

On October 23, 2012, Sherman Health Systems announced our plans to join the Advocate Health Care system. Here are answers to some questions you might have about this announcement:

Q: What is the nature of this partnership?
A: In simple terms, Advocate Health Care would become the parent company of Sherman Health Systems. Sherman's current local leadership and governance will play a significant, continuing role.

Q: How will the partnership affect the care patients receive at Sherman?
A: We aim to foster the long term health of the communities and patients we serve through high quality, personalized care. That will only be enhanced through this partnership.

Q: What can you tell me about Advocate?
A: Advocate Health System is the largest health system in Illinois with 10 acute care hospitals, the state's largest integrated children's network, five Level I trauma centers, two Level II trauma centers, the state's largest home health care company and more than 6,000 affiliated physicians.

Q: What's the benefit to the community?
A: Sherman partnering with a larger system provides our community with:

Better health care value - better outcomes at lower costs for more people over time.

A more sustainable model for delivering care in the long-term.

The strength of Illinois' largest health system in our own backyard.

Q: Why did Sherman select Advocate Health Care?
A: Advocate is ready to help us grow and expand our services at an accelerated pace to become a distinctive, regional destination for care. Advocate is nationally recognized for its clinical and physician integration models, which are vitally important to us now and in the future.

Q: Why can't Sherman Health remain independent?
A: Health care reform now requires providers to deliver the best outcomes for the most people for the least amount of money. We believe becoming part of a larger system is the best way for Sherman to do that in the long term.

Q: Is Sherman partnering with Advocate because of financial reasons?
A: Sherman Health joins Advocate from a position of strength and choice. We are in the strongest financial position we've been in since we opened our replacement hospital in 2009 and feel this is the right time to consider becoming part of something larger.

Q: How did this partnership process start?
A: At the beginning of 2012, we sent a request for information to 11 systems. After careful review, we asked only five of them to answer a request for proposal about how they would approach a partnership with Sherman. We analyzed those five proposals and then we narrowed the list to two: Advocate Health Care and Cadence Health.

Q: What criteria did you use in your selection process?
A: Our selection criteria included allowing for a local voice, providing long-term access to capital, information technology capabilities and physician collaboration opportunities. Advocate met or exceeded our expectations in every area.

Q: Did Sherman doctors/employees have a say in which partner was selected?
A: Our employees and medical staff have actively participated in this process from day one. We have kept them updated and involved through meetings, newsletters and a variety of other communication methods.

Q: Will the hospital's name change?
A: Yes. Once the integration of the two systems is complete, we will become Advocate Sherman Hospital.

Q: What are the next steps?
A: In the coming months we will go through a due diligence process with teams from both Sherman and Advocate working together on the operational details of the partnership. We anticipate an official closing sometime between May and July, 2013.

Read the original partnership press release