Henry Ford Health, Ascension Michigan merger expected to be complete in October

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A joint venture between two hospital behemoths in Michigan will begin at the beginning of October after announcing plans to consolidate last year.

Henry Ford Health and Ascension Michigan will close their proposed joint venture on Sept. 30 and launch the newly combined hospital group on Oct. 1. Once the merger is complete, the expanded health care organization will be branded as Henry Ford Health and headquartered in Detroit.

The merger brings together hospitals from metro Detroit and mid-Michigan, combining some 50,000 employees and 550 sites under one name.

"Words can’t express how excited we are to find ourselves at this moment," said Bob Riney, President and CEO, Henry Ford Health. "Since we announced our proposed joint venture last fall, we’ve been engaged in thoughtful planning across our organizations – all focused on how we plan to come together to build the future of health on behalf of those we serve."

Riney will remain as CEO of the expanded group. The CEO of Ascension Michigan, Carol Schmidt, will partner with Riney during the first phase of integrating the two groups, a news release from Henry Ford Health said.

It's the latest example of hospitals in Michigan consolidating. In 2021, Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health merged into a new health care system called Corewell.

Concerns about the merger of health care groups brings worries over keeping prices affordable in an industry that can be expensive for many to participate in.

When they announced their agreement, Henry Ford Health and Ascension Michigan said the merger would improve outcomes for communities they serve while boosting access.