CHI-Dignity merger fun facts

Dignity Health filings with the state of California include some interesting tidbits of information from Dignity’s board meeting minutes:

Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity will retain separate electronic health record systems after the merger closes. CHI will continue to use Epic, Cerner, Allscripts and Meditech; Dignity will stay with Cerner. Spokesmen for both systems said the ultimate goal is to integrate the EHR systems.

Dignity’s collective bargaining agreements will “remain in full force and effect” following the transaction.

Unlike the current structure, Dignity CEO Lloyd Dean early on expected there to be a single CEO, rather than the planned co-CEO model, according to board meeting minutes. At a January 2017 meeting, Dean told the group that “a definitive leadership structure has to be proposed; there has to be a single CEO and key positions cannot be chosen by a committee.” A Dignity spokesman said the two organizations arrived at the co-CEO model after a thorough due-diligence process.

Dean has committed to staying with the health system for at least three years following the close of the merger, according to minutes of an April 20, 2017 meeting, citing Dignity board member Sister Judith Carle.

Dignity received more than 100 letters of support in California for its merger with CHI from state lawmakers, city and county officials, local businesses, community benefit providers, higher education organizations and other not-for-profit groups. Many were form letters addressed to California’s attorney general.