Decatur Memorial Hospital reportedly set to join Memorial Health System in October

By Benjamin Cox on May 23, 2019 at 9:20am

A fifth hospital organization may join Memorial Health System after regular verification.

Decatur Memorial Hospital will presumably become the second largest hospital in the Springfield-based Memorial Health System, pending regulatory approval. The boards of both nonprofit healthcare organizations reached an affiliation agreement in late April, with full affiliation set to begin October 1st.

Memorial Health System currently comprises Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, Passavant Area Hospital in Jacksonville, Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Lincoln and Taylorville Memorial Hospital in Taylorville, as well as Memorial Physician Services, Memorial Behavioral Health and Memorial Home Services.

Decatur Memorial Hospital is the third largest employer in Macon County, with more than 2,300 employees and 300 medical staff. The hospital has received recognition from U.S. News & World Report, IBM Watson Health, the International Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and more. Memorial Health System has nearly 7,100 staff members and 900 partnering physicians.

Their comprehensive healthcare services and leading quality and safety measures have led to tremendous patient outcomes that have been recognized by national and international organizations like The Joint Commission, American Hospital Association, American Heart Association, the International Hospital Federation, American Nurses Credentialing Center and more.

As an MHS affiliate, Decatur Memorial will maintain local governance and leadership with day-to-day DMH operations managed by the DMH executive team. DMH will also maintain a local community board of directors, similar to the other Memorial Health System affiliate hospitals and will also have directors now serving on the MHS board.