COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Community Health Center of Branch County Board of Trustees approved an operating agreement on Monday night that calls for the hospital to become a member of a Clinically Integrated Network.
A C.I.N. is an organization that allows members to engage in collective bargaining activities which were unlawful in the past.
Hospital President and Chief Executive Officer Randy DeGroot says it’s an outgrowth of the Accountable Care Organization
The initial investment will be $2,500 per member which will be used primarily for legal fees.
DeGroot does not anticipate a lot of activity in the near future.
The board also approved a recommendation from DeGroot that will be made to Branch County Commissioners to freeze the existing defined benefit program on October 1, 2016 and enter into a resolution adopting the MERS Defined Contribution Plan.
The change is being made in anticipation of ProMedica’s purchase of the hospital which could happen sometime before 2018.
