April 01--Though not unexpected, the merger between the state's largest hospital system Advocate Health Care and the NorthShore University HealthSystem has been delayed.
The Federal Trade Commission recently informed the hospital groups that it would need more time and information to review the proposal, a spokesman said.
The FTC was originally expected to make a decision by April. No additional timeline was provided.
"This is not unexpected given the complexity of the agreement," Advocate CEO Jim Skogsbergh and NorthShore CEO Mark Neaman said in a joint statement to employees. "Our respective teams have already begun to gather the information and look forward to advancing this process with the FTC."
Advocate and NorthShore announced in September their intent to combine.
The consolidation would create a 16-hospital system that reported $6.8 billion in combined revenue in 2013. They plan to be known post-merger as Advocate NorthShore Health Partners.
ehirst@tribpub.com
