Set in rural Wyoming, this is a multi-faceted consolidation case, which depicts the efforts of Holy Family Hospital and Gorsich General Hospital to reduce operating costs by combining services. Assisted by a consulting team, hospital administrators must decide the extent of their consolidation efforts. This case provides a glimpse into a highly charged and complex scenario, which shows the conflict between the hospital's potential savings and the ideological/cultural conflicts of the involved parties. Students gain valuable insight into the controversial political conflicts that could result in a merger between a Catholic hospital and a secular institution with a community ownership base. The scenario is further complicated by hospital staff that are opposed to any kind of consolidation for a fear of job loss. Conservative independent physicians, who favor "pure competition" and the benefits they currently receive from a two hospital system, also present a serious obstacle to integrating hospitals.

This is an excellent case for teaching students about the complexities involved in merging institutions and forming affiliations. It is also a valuable exercise to convey lessons in culture conflicts and the importance of retaining a hospital's mission while accommodating other's divergent values.

"Hospital Consolidation," was excerpted from "Ambulatory Health Care: Case Studies for the Health Services Executive" an anthology of health administration teaching cases edited by the University of Washington's Austin Ross.