Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and Centegra Health System are considering a possible affiliation, the companies said Wednesday.
According to the companies, over the next couple of months the two organizations will enter into discussions to define what the affiliation would be.
Dean Harrison, president and CEO of Northwestern, said in a statement that Centegra "shares a similar vision" as Northwestern Medicine.
Centegra Health System includes hospitals in McHenry and Woodstock, including Immediate and Physician Care Centers, Sage Cancer Center, Health Bridge Fitness Centers, and Centegra Hospital-Huntley, which will open in August of this year. The system includes 4,000 employees and more than 200 physicians and allied health professionals.
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Centera CEO Michael Eesley said in a statement that it was the "right time" for the two companies to join forces, saying a partnership would provide patients with a "combination of academic medicine and community-based care."
A merger would be the fourth such deal for Northwestern over the past couple of years, creating a nine-hospital system in the greater Chicago area.
The health system has added several community hospitals to its roster since 2014, including Cadence Health, KishHealth and, most recently, the Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital and its affiliates.
Twitter: @JELagasse