J. Richard Gaintner, the chief executive of Pathways Health Network, the parent company of Deaconess hospital, will serve as president and second-in-command of the new entity.
"This is very serious," Gaintner told the Boston Globe. "There does Rabkin told the Globe the combined hospitals will lower their operating costs by millions of dollars by sharing costs and splitting administrative expenses. Staff reductions at both hospitals are expected in the near future, but Rabkin said they will rely on attrition, rather than layoffs, to pare down the number of employees. This merger is unusual because the new medical center will be organized around areas of care such as women's health and heart disease, rather than traditional disciplines such as surgery, Rabkin told the Globe. Both Beth Israel and Deaconess have spurned merger attempts with other hospitals in the recent past. A deal between Deaconess and New England Medical Center, a Tufts teaching hospital, fell through last year. Beth Israel also conducted unsuccessful merger talks with the Lahey Clinic