Message from the President

You may have heard the news by now. The Lakeland Health and Spectrum Health Boards of Directors have both approved a path to integration.

That is big news for us both. It would be the biggest integration for Spectrum Health. It would be the first integration for Lakeland where we are not the larger organization.

Spectrum Health has experience with integration. Of their thirteen hospitals, ten were added through integration. As you would expect, they have also added a number of physician practices through integration.

Lakeland also has a lot of integration experience, starting with Mercy Hospital in Benton Harbor, continuing through Pawating Hospital in Niles and Berrien General Hospital in Berrien Springs, through Watervliet Community Hospital. We have also had a lot of experience with integrating physician practices, starting with the Southwestern Medical Clinic and many since.

So why are Lakeland and Spectrum Health on a path to integration?

The answer is simple. Value. We are committed to everything we can to improve the health of our community, to improve the health care that we deliver, to provide that care at the lowest cost possible, and to make our organizations great places to work. You know that as the Quadruple Aim.

Our two organizations recognize we can do that work better by doing it together.

Because of the size of Spectrum Health there are things they offer that would be difficult or impossible for us to afford. As a system, Spectrum Health owns Priority, the second biggest commercial insurance plan in Michigan. They also invest tens of millions of dollars each year in innovation activities. Those activities will help them, and now us, achieve Quadruple Aim goals.

Because of Lakeland’s flexibility and commitment, we have expertise we can offer as well. We have excelled at using Epic to improve care and to save lives. We have had Epic longer and have received national awards for doing that work very well.

Of course, there are many other examples where we can learn from each other and add value to the communities we serve. Over the next few months we will collaborate to formulate an integration plan that will optimize that value.

We expect to complete the necessary legal and operational work to integrate our organizations in the early fall of this year.

I recognize that with change come both optimism and apprehension. There are good reasons for both. We will work hard to keep you well informed and do our best to make sure you have everything you need to do your job well.

I so much appreciate everything you do to provide the best health care possible to our friends, neighbors, and families. I am very confident that the integration between Lakeland Health and Spectrum Health would make us even better.

If you would like to read more of Message from the President, click here