Boone Hospital trustees to explore merger with MU Health

The Boone Hospital Board of Trustees have unanimously agreed to discuss aligning with University of Missouri Health Care.

Trustee chair Brian Neuner said Tuesday they made the announcement to inform their other potential partners BJC HealthCare, Duke/LifePoint Health Care and Saint Luke’s Health System that they would be putting negotiations with them on hold.

The current Boone Hospital lease with BJC Healthcare ends in 2020.

“We’re going to dive in deep and we’re going to keep going until we know it can’t work (with MU),” said Neuner. “If we get to the end and we know it can work, then we work with BJC on how we exit.”

BJC must be informed of a chance in the lease by the end of 2018.

Discussion and evaluation of the potential partnership will begin immediately and trustees said they hope there could be a potential to enhance quality, increase efficiency and expand the delivery of health care access in the communities that they both serve.

“These discussions have the potential to help us identify ways to build a truly innovative and more effective system of healthcare delivery and innovation,” said Neuner. “Working together, we have the potential to deliver healthcare that is second to none.”

MU Health and Boone Hospital leaders said Tuesday they didn’t know how this would affect patients and their insurance plans.

“That’s definitely a discussion point, but i think the best answer I can give you is we will definitely talk about that,” said Neuner. “It’s day 1 and i couldn’t give you a specific answer.”

“This is the beginning and it’s part of a process,” said MU Health CEO Jonathan Curtright. “I am here to tell you we’ll do everything we can to make Boone Hospital and MU Health Care successful and if that requires a look at any of our insurance plans, we’re open to all that from day one.”

Right now, there are no employee jobs at stake for either organization.