HOSPITALS MOVE ON AFTER MERGER COLLAPSE

The announcement last week that Attorney General Jay Nixon opposed the planned merger of St. Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital came as a surprise to representatives of both Cape Girardeau hospitals. But reality quickly set in, and both organizations have taken steps to move on and continue to look for ways to provide the best possible health care to this area.

The surprise of Nixon's announcement wasn't so much what he decided, but how he did it. When Nixon called a news conference to say he not only opposed the merger, but would take legal action if the hospitals pursued it, both hospitals were under the impression that data they were compiling -- at the attorney general's request -- would become a part of the decision-making process.

Although Nixon was clearly swayed by those who weren't directly involved in the ongoing discussions that led to the merger plan, the task force that represented both hospitals can take pride in its efforts. The merger was approached, from the outset, as an attempt to find ways to upgrade medical services while creating economies and efficiencies that would be beneficial to the hospitals, the medical community and, in particular, to anyone in need of hospitalization or any of the outpatient services the hospitals provide.

In the process, the task force developed a plan that was sensible, one that would have ensured the delivery of first-rate hospital services under the control of local board members like those who have guided the two hospitals for decades.

But there were those who strongly opposed the merger for whatever reasons, and their arguments were given greater weight by the attorney general. Prudently, the hospitals have decided to focus on the future as separate entities rather than continuing the merger effort. To pursue the merger not only would have incurred promised legal opposition from the attorney general, but it would also have costs hundreds of thousands of dollars with no guarantee of a positive outcome.

Even though the effort to merge the hospitals did not achieve its aim, the process has produced some lasting positive results. For one, the spirit of cooperation, whenever doing so would produce health-care benefits, is still strong between St. Francis and Southeast. Cooperative programs that already exist will continue, and new ones will be added when appropriate.

In these fast-changing days of health care, nothing seems to be certain as far as the future goes. But one thing can be counted on: Anyone seeking the services of a hospital in Cape Girardeau will get the finest care available anywhere -- no small feat considering all the pressures from the insurance industry and the federal government with which hospitals must contend.