What others are saying are saying about the 10th anniversary of the partnership between UNMC and The Nebraska Medical Center.
“The joint venture of Clarkson and University hospitals resulting in the creation of The Nebraska Medical Center has truly been a case of one plus one equals three. The synergies created by linking first-rate teaching, nationally competitive research, and exceptional patient care have been important for the institutions involved, but even more important for the city, state and region. Leading clinical centers around the country are affiliated with leading academic medical centers and it’s easy to understand why. The benefits of collaboration among researchers and clinicians and the opportunity for students — the next generation of practitioners — to learn from both serves our patients well. I am proud of what has been accomplished in just 10 years, and I look forward to the years ahead.”
James B. Milliken, president of the University of Nebraska
“The primary reason the hospital merger was successful is due to a group of physicians trusting each other and understanding the need to create something unique. The organization’s success has been a national model. The merger combines the efficiencies and experience of private practice with the innovations associated with academic medicine.”
Louis Burgher, M.D., Ph.D., former president and CEO of The Nebraska Medical Center
“Mergers between health care organizations are still in vogue, but many such partnerships fail. Compared to less successful arrangements in many parts of the country, the merger of Clarkson Hospital and University Hospital has been a stunning success. This merger, which has continued to grow stronger each year, has matured and the partnership has emerged as a formidable academic health center, with a national and international reputation for research and education, as well as the delivery of extraordinary care for patients in Nebraska and beyond. The vision and foresight displayed more than a decade ago by our leaders has set our course for the future. There is no doubt remaining — the merger has been a good thing for both UNMC and The Nebraska Medical Center.”
John Gollan, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the UNMC College of Medicine
“It is amazing to me that we are already ten years down the road from the creation of what is now The Nebraska Medical Center. The progress we have made in so many areas would take too long to cover, but I can summarize by saying that we are now the number one hospital in the region in size, in scope of practice capabilities, in innovation and advances in healthcare and most importantly in the quality of the medical and hospital staff. I want to thank everyone that has worked so tirelessly and effectively over the past ten years to make our claim of ‘serious medicine and extraordinary care’ ring true for our patients.”
Joe Graham, chief operating officer at The Nebraska Medical Center
“The merger of Clarkson Hospital and University Hospital was successful for a lot of reasons. For one, it took a tremendous amount of work — other medical centers have tried and failed. A merger cannot be successful when one part is weak and one is strong. Our merger happened at just the right time. In the future, I hope to see the relationship between the hospital and the University of Nebraska Medical Center become even stronger and to continue to attract outstanding private and academic physicians to practice at The Nebraska Medical Center.”
James Armitage, M.D., professor in the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine and hospital board chairman of The Nebraska Medical Center’s first board of directors
“The merger 10 years ago of Clarkson Hospital and University Hospital has proven to be a tremendous success by any measure. Many parties deserve credit for so successfully bringing together two different medical cultures. I would single out two. The hospital leadership team, including the board, has been critical to blending the two organizations, focusing on the long term success of the hospital, and creating an environment where the strengths of both private and academic medicine are realized in a stronger new model. Equally important to the success has been the commitment of the physicians and nurses to making the merger work and to creating the
highest quality medical center in our region.”
Ken Stinson, former chairman of The Nebraska Medical Center Board of Directors and chairman of the board for Peter Kiewit Sons’, Inc.
“The creation of The Nebraska Medical Center has allowed our faculty practice to grow from roughly 280 physicians to more than 500 physicians. We have been able to recruit additional sub-specialists to enhance the programs of both the College of Medicine and The Nebraska Medical Center. This translates to more substantial research and hopefully strengthens our base for translational research. The concept of outside competition also was introduced through the creation of The Nebraska Medical Center, and this competition for patients based on the service market also has strengthened our faculty practice. Thanks to this, the UNMC College of Medicine and UNMC Physicians are well positioned for the next 10 years.”
Rod Markin, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of UNMC Physicians
“We have come a long way in the past ten years. That is due in part to our strong leadership, their hard work, their clear direction and their ability to articulate that direction well to others. Our medical center leaders remain committed to the mission, defining a strategic planning process and finding creative ways to collaborate to benefit all groups involved.”
Jim Canedy, M.D., member of The Nebraska Medical Center’s first board of directors
“I am so pleased to see how well the joint venture to create The Nebraska Medical Center is progressing. It is hard to believe that we are celebrating the 10th anniversary. This was a bold experiment — to combine an academic hospital and a private practice hospital. The early years were difficult, but for the last five it just keeps getting better. Revenue, market share, facilities, patient satisfaction and quality are all growing nicely. It is a great success story!”
Bruce Lauritzen, chairman of First National Bank of Omaha and member of The Nebraska Medical Center’s first board of directors
“I still have vivid recollections of my very private conversations with Bruce Lauritzen and Ken Stinson concerning the merge of Clarkson and university hospitals. Bill Berndt, then acting chancellor of UNMC, encouraged me to engage in the conversations since their previous experiences with the former UNMC chancellor had been less than fruitful. We met at least four to five times until it became possible to finally agree that a merger was in both our best interests. I think a major breakthrough was when it became clear to Bruce and Ken that the physicians at UNMC contributed a chunk of clinical income to the teaching and research efforts at UNMC, and that they didn’t keep all the income as profit. The merger really was a significant step forward for both UNMC and Clarkson, and we have never looked back. Few will ever know the details of those private talks, which also involved keeping Bill Berndt apprised. I am only sorry he can’t be around for the celebration.”
L. Dennis Smith, former University of Nebraska president
“Any time you merge two entities, it creates an air of uncertainty and anxiety. You really don’t know what is going to happen. The Board of Regents placed its trust in the leadership team involved in the merger. They were confident that the merger would ultimately be a win-win for both institutions. Reflecting back, I think you would have to say the merger has been an unqualified success. We couldn’t be more pleased with the outstanding partnership that has resulted. It has served the state well and greatly enhanced the patient care, research, education and outreach missions of the medical center.”
Charles Wilson, M.D., chairman of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents
“The merger added the strength of one to the strength of the other. We had always been good neighbors. The relationship evolved because of the respect and interaction from both sides. As discussions continued, the value of a true partnership became apparent. By implementing a true merger, a number of changes and improvements became possible. Coordinated planning involving the leadership of both entities allowed for the establishment of priorities, the appropriate and most effective allocation of resources, and — of utmost importance — cooperation in recruitment. Through these combined efforts, it was possible to establish new programs and new initiatives in a timely manner while continuing to appropriately support and nurture existing programs. While some mergers at the national level have not proven to be effective and some have even been terminated, it is a credit to all concerned that this combined entity is flourishing at the end of its first decade. Continued evolution and strengthening of the partnership is essential to meet the challenges of a competitive market place and the rapid changes in the medical world.”
Irene Klintberg, Ph.D., executive associate dean of the UNMC College of Medicine (retired in 2006)
“I was a supporter of the merger because of my concern about the duplication of resources by the two institutions sitting across the street from each other. The merger has eliminated that ‘wasting’ of valuable limited resources. I think the combined entity continues to offer great potential.”
Peter Whitted, M.D., clinical instructor at UNMC and ophthalmologist at The Nebraska Medical Center
“I have had the privilege of practicing medicine at Clarkson Hospital, University Hospital and The Nebraska Medical Center during my medical career. I also had the honor of serving on the joint merger committee in 1997. I believe the merger has been a tremendous benefit to both the UNMC faculty and the private practice physicians. The combined entities have proven to be a superior place to practice medicine, educate students and residents, and conduct clinical research. The financial success of the hospital is unparalleled in the region, and we have blossomed on both the regional and national stage since the merger. The future looks bright for The Nebraska Medical Center and its potential is unlimited.”
Ward Chambers, M.D., interim coordinator of UNMC International Health and Education
“The partnership between the Clarkson Hospital and the University of Nebraska Medical Center has been successful due, in large part, to the vision of the medical and executive staff leadership of both institutions and not wavering from that vision these past ten years. We are one of a select few in the nation that can boast of a successful merger between a private and public institution. I am very optimistic about the future. Projects like the Bellevue Medical Center and the west Omaha facilities will only contribute to our success.”
Tim Kingston, M.D., member of The Nebraska Medical Center’s first board of directors