Mergers and consolidation reflect a key trend in health care and provide an example of the kinds of changes health care organizations may encounter. In order to navigate these transitions effectively, health care professionals need to understand the issues that can arise as an organization undergoes change.

With information from this week’s Learning Resources in mind, review “The Merger of Two Competing Hospitals: A Case Study” on pages 406–411 of Introduction to Health Care Management.

As a team, discuss the following questions:

• What are some of the key factors that seem to be driving the increase in mergers and consolidations in the marketplace? Which ones appear to be most relevant in this case study?

• What issues seem to be most pressing with regard to this merger?

• What do you think are the key concerns of this scenario’s various stakeholders (e.g

., management, employees/physicians, patients, members of the community)?

• What challenges is the leadership team facing as they undertake this transition?

• What skills and competencies might be needed by 1) management and 2) employees/physicians to help facilitate this change?

• What are some of the possible outcomes for this newly formed organization?

As you consider these questions, think about the perspective of your assigned role in the case study as well as your own experiences.