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Hospital officials say they are positive that the merger between Deaconess, Beth Israel and Mount Auburn will succeed because it will create greater economic efficiency.

"It will position Mount Auburn, its physicians and Beth Israel-Deanconess...to enhance quality, service and fiscal efficiency in the highly competitive marketplace of managed care," Francis P. Lynch, president of Mount Auburn Hospital, said in a press release.

Representatives from Partners HealthCare say they are not surprised by the merger announcements.

Bringing together the resources of the hospitals will make it "easier to navigate through the system," says Carolyn Castel, director of corporate communications for Partners HealthCare.

"It doesn't pose something that's tremendously new, nor was it in any way unexpected," says Castel. "We didn't see it as a surprise move."

The joining of Beth Israel and Deaconess will involve a physical combination of the two Longwood area hospitals. The buildings, which are across the street from one another, will be joined and the staff will be brought together under a common system.

Though Mount Auburn will not become a physical entity of the merger, it will merge its resources with Beth Israel and Deanconess to allow for mass ordering of supplies and a joint-negotiation of insurance contracts which would lessen costs, according to Erin C. Martin, spokesperson for Deanconess Hospital.

Douglas M. Pravda contributed to the reporting of this story.

PATHWAY HEALTH NETWORK

The parent company of Deaconess Hospital

ANNUAL REVENUE: $479.6 MILLION

BEDS: 951

EMPLOYEES: 4,560

PHYSICIANS: 700