When you search for the word merge, Google brings up a definition related to coming together: two or more entities joining to help each other address a common problem or need. Were seeing this trend in several recent major hospital and health system mergers. Its rare to see an unaffiliated health system nowadays, as mergers and affiliations are ways for health systems to share in the cost of doing business and potentially gain market share. However, deciding to come together and making it happen can be complicated.Many questions arise with a merger or affiliation: Will departments and staffs be combined, will there be a consolidation of the systems used, and will there be opportunities to create a shared services model? Ultimately, how do you ensure merger or affiliation success? Based on my more than 25 years of healthcare project management experience, including the past several years leading and advising multiple health system mergers and affiliations, here are seven detail-oriented steps to consider.

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