Rush, Little Company end merger talks

The Rush health system and Little Company of Mary Hospital & Health Care Centers have called off plans to merge.

Rush, a three-hospital network anchored by flagship Rush University Medical Center on the Near West Side, and Little Company, a small community hospital in south suburban Evergreen Park, announced their intent to combine in October.

"Representatives of the Rush system and Little Company of Mary Hospital and Health Care Centers have mutually agreed to terminate their integration discussions," the nonprofits wrote in a statement. "Both organizations maintain their mutual respect for each other and will pursue efforts independently to advance care and service to Chicago-area patients and communities."

The deal would have marked Rush's expansion to the south suburbs and Little Company's exit as an independent hospital.

Rush has been hustling to bulk up as rivals grow. Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care just finalized a mega merger across state lines, creating the 10th largest nonprofit health system in the nation. Presence Health and Ascension Health officially tied the knot in March. Their union surpasses Advocate Health Care as the largest hospital network in Illinois based on number of hospitals.

"Rush, Little Company end merger talks" originally appeared in Crain's Chicago Business.