South Bend Clinic, Allied Physicians Merge

Allied Physicians of Michiana main campus (photo courtesy of The South Bend Clinic)

Two South Bend-based healthcare providers have announced plans to merge. South Bend Clinic and Allied Physicians of Michiana say the partnership will create greater value for patients and the community.

Allied Physicians of Michiana Vice President of Marketing & Communications Jacque Stahl said the company will be transitioning to the South Bend Clinic name. A tagline will be added to Allied Physicians’ divisions that operate under their own name to say “a South Bend Clinic partner”.

Dr. Brad Scott, board president of The South Bend Clinic, and Dr. Tim Noveroske, board chair of Allied Physicians of Michiana say the merger will provide tangible, cost-saving benefits for area healthcare consumers.

“As physicians, collectively we believe there are substantial patient benefits to be derived through an independent, physician-led, multi-specialty model of care, that this merger will help to preserve,” said Scott.

A February study from Ball State University noted that Indiana has some of the highest healthcare costs in the nation, a factor that will negatively impact the community’s ability to attract new businesses to the area.

Stahl says the merger will provide capacity for the organization to continue to grow its workforce as more procedures are driven to outpatient care settings.

The combined leadership team says they expect the collaboration will result in less duplication of resources, enhanced coordination of care, shared costs, greater facility utilization and a competitive model for recruitment.

In February, IIB reported the purchase of Unity Medical and Surgical Hospital of Mishawaka by The South Bend Clinic, Allied Physicians, and South Bend Orthopaedics.