Chicago hospital merger push driven by economics

Chicago Tribune, January 17, 2008

A flurry of Chicago-area hospitals discussing plans to merge or seek buyouts. The trend reflects a push by smaller hospitals to combine with larger providers to gain market share and clout with insurance companies who pay for the hospital's services, help fund expansions or deal with the rising number of uninsured patients. It's also easier to merge instead of going through regulatory and financial hurdles when building, analysts say.