The letter Conemaugh Health System and U.P.M.C. Lee Regional signed basically lets them figure out if a merger would be feasible. This means Conemaugh and U.P.M.C. Lee are allowed to exchange financial data and other pertinent information to help them determine the best way to go forward. Representatives from Conemaugh tell us they don't anticipate any increases in healthcare costs or any significant job losses. In fact, they think more jobs will be lost without a merger. Conemaugh representatives also say a merger will allow them to break down insurance barriers that keep patients from choosing their hospital. We talked to the former chair of the Johnstown Business Council on Healthcare, Larry Caprous, about this latest development.

He tells Channel 6 News, "Both of them are probably more in a break even mode. If they can take a lot of their cost out then they're gonna be stronger and be able to be a better regional facility."

Longer lines and less choices are a concern for patients. Caprous says that's how the medical system can be. He says right now both hospitals aren't serving the number of people they thought they would in special services. So if those departments combine that can make them better. Another concern for many people is the insurance costs. Caprous says, "If there's enough community pressure, whether business groups get together to meet with the hospitals and demand that costs don't go up, they're gonna be able to take 2 accounting departments and have 1 accounting department."

Caprous says the next step in this is for both hospitals to see if this is really possible, look at the bottom line, and then decide from there. In the end though, a merger could take years to complete.