hospital merger

["Bert Cross" <bcross@uidaho.edu>]

It seems to me that the two major obstacles to any kind of a merger 
between Pullman Memorial Hospital and Gritman Medical Center
are: (1) the state line, and (2) the differences in organization.  

As I understand it, Pullman Memorial is a county hospital, supported 
in part by taxes and governed by a board of directors elected by the 
Whitman County electorate. It operates under the laws of the state of 
Washington.  As a governmental entity, its board must operate openly 
and be responsible to the public it serves.

Gritman is a private non-profit corporation incorporated under the 
laws of the state of Idaho. As a private corporation it has no direct 
responsibility to the public of Latah County.  It is not
supported by public funds and its board meetings do not have to be 
open to the public.  It has operated successfully as a business on its own.  

The point is that they are two different kinds of organizations, and 
trying to merge them presents almost insurmountable problems.  

But that doesn't mean that something can't be done to limit expensive 
duplication and bring the best state-of-the-art facilities to the Palouse.  
Several months ago I suggested forming an alliance between the two 
hospitals which would provide a mechanism for greater cooperation. 
Both hospitals could remain autonomous and retain their own methods of 
governance.   But if such an alliance were to function successfully, 
each  might have to give up a bit of its autonomy.The alliance could have
a board of its own with representation from both hospitals, the medical
community and the public.  Hopefully, agreements could be worked out 
considering the broader public interest.  Maybe it is a naive idea, 
butI personally don't see how a merger can ever take place.
Bert Cross
1448 Borah Ave.
Moscow, ID 83843
Phone: (208) 882-7660
email: bcross@uidaho.edu