Doctors approve merger plan for UW Medical Foundation and UW Hospital

Doctors at UW-Madison have approved a plan to merge the UW Medical Foundation and UW Hospital, according to a Wisconsin State Journal report. The plan is expected to go before the UW Board of Regents later this week.

The plan integrates the medical foundation and 592-bed UW Hospital into one organization. At present, they exist separately under the umbrella of UW Health, which also includes the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, and Unity, a health insurance company.

The 1,300 members of the medical foundation approved the merger on a vote of 574 to 125 (82% for and 18% against).

Assuming the regents approve the proposal, the merger will begin as early as July 1, though it could take up to two years to be completed.