In Brief: University Hospitals, Robinson Health Sign Letter Of Intent; Illinois Launches Office Of Health Innovation And Transformation

University Hospitals, Robinson Health Reach Agreement

The Cleveland-based University Hospitals system has signed a letter of intent to add the Ravenna, Ohio-based Robinson Health System to its ranks.

Robinson operates the Robinson Memorial Hospital, a 117-bed facility that is also located in Ravenna, about 40 miles southeast of Cleveland.

"We completed a very comprehensive process to evaluate potential organizations that could best support our mission to provide high-quality, patient-centered health care to our patients and the communities that we serve," said Stephen Colecchi, Robinson Memorial's chief executive officer. "It is our belief that the mission of University Hospitals is very compatible with the mission of Robinson. University Hospitals also has an outstanding record of employee and medical staff engagement which is very important to Robinson. We strongly believe that becoming part of UH will be a dynamic and important change for Robinson and is in the best interests of our patients.”

Illinois Launches Office of Health Innovation and Transformation

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has announced a new office to replace the state's Office of Health Information Technology.

The Office of Health Innovation and Transformation will be charged with carrying out the recommendations of the Alliance for Health, a group of health policy leaders, healthcare providers, insurers and other constituents. It will also work on proposed changes to the state's Medicaid program that will be submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services next month for approval.