SSM and Dean CEOs discuss merger

After more than a year of negotiations, Dean Health System announced this week it had entered an agreement to be bought by St. Louis-based SSM Health Care, one of the largest Catholic health systems in the country. While the two organizations already jointly own Dean Health Plan and partner on a number of clinics, Dean Health System CEO Dr. Craig Samitt said Dean seriously considered other bidders. He wouldn't confirm the names of those other organizations, or disclose any financial terms. In the end, he said, SSM was the best fit. Wisconsin Health News caught up with Samitt and SSM CEO Bill Thompson to learn more. (WHN, 4/19)