Meriter, UnityPoint to join forces

With the Affordable Care Act incentivizing the consolidation of health care organizations due to lower reimbursements for government payers, Meriter Health Services in Madison has announced it will become an affiliate of UnityPoint Health, a health system based in Iowa. Meriter will remain an independent, community-based health care organization run by a community board but will gain additional resources as part of a larger, regional system.

UnityPoint Health provides care throughout Iowa and in Central and Western Illinois. It operates 15 hospitals in eight regions and employs 24,000 workers.

State and federal regulatory approvals are expected later this year.

Meriter and Physicians Plus Insurance Corp. members should see no changes to their local care.