OhioHealth

History

Early beginnings

OhioHealth can trace its origins back to 1891, with the creation of Protestant Hospital Association, the fourth hospital in Columbus, and the first not associated with the Roman Catholic Church. In 1922, this hospital became White Cross Hospital, affiliated with the Ohio Methodist Episcopal Conference, but due to financial difficulty during the Great Depression, only the United Methodist Church was able to continue providing support.

The hospital grew at a quick pace and in 1958 it broke ground on its current location at West North Broadway and Olentangy River Road. To reflect its new location, the hospital was named Riverside Methodist. White Cross continued operating under the same name at its Short North location into the 1970s. At its new location, Riverside Methodist grew at a rapid pace well into the 1980s, expanding into new fields of medicine all the time.

Formation of U.S. Health

In September 1984, amidst much change in the United States' healthcare system, U.S. Health Corporation of Columbus was formed to meet the demands of the changing healthcare environment. After much negotiating with the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church, the hospital's sponsor, Riverside Methodist became a subsidiary of U.S. Health. In 1988, Mercy Hospital joined the U.S. Health network, and over time became Southern Ohio Medical Center, which eventually regained independent status. In 1986, Marion General Hospital joined the system, allowing U.S. Health to become one of the Midwest's largest health systems. In 1988, Grant Medical Center became a member. In 1992, Hardin Memorial Hospital joined the network as well. In 1997, after settling a lawsuit with US Healthcare Inc., of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, (now merged with Aetna), U.S. Health Corporation became OhioHealth.

Restructuring

In July 2022, OhioHealth announced the pending elimination of 567 jobs from their information technology department and 70 jobs from their revenue cycle department, scheduled to be completed by January 3, 2023. OhioHealth explained that the decision was made to enable them to become a "more patient-centric organization", and that they plan to retain 128 IT positions, as well as 1,390 revenue cycle positions.

Reputation

OhioHealth was named by Thomson Reuters as one of the 10 best healthcare systems in America three years in a row. "Thomson Reuters" OhioHealth also has been recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” from 2007 through 2018. In addition, U.S. News & World Report ranked Riverside Methodist Hospital's neuroscience program 38 out of 50 on its list of “America’s Best Hospitals” for neurology and neurosurgery in 2015-2016.

Facilities

OhioHealth currently operates 16 hospitals with more than 2,000 licensed beds, 300 clinical locations including free standing outpatient and physician offices.

Member hospitals include Riverside Methodist Hospital, Grant Medical Center, Doctors Hospital, Grady Memorial Hospital, Dublin Methodist Hospital, Hardin Memorial Hospital, Marion General Hospital, Grove City Methodist Hospital, Berger Hospital, OhioHealth Mansfield, Shelby Hospital, O'Bleness Hospital, Southeastern Ohio Medical Center, Morrow County Hospital, Van Wert Hospital, and Pickerington Methodist Hospital. OhioHealth is a health ministry of the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church.

References

References

1. "About Us". OhioHealth.
2. "The OhioHealth Story".
3. "The OhioHealth Story". The Donning Company Publishers.
4. (July 7, 2022). "OhioHealth cuts more than 600 jobs in IT, billing restructuring". Richland Source.
5. (May 31, 2011). "Thomson Reuters Names Top 10 U.S. Health Systems". Thomson Reuters.
6. (December 2025). "To Improve the Health of Those We Serve: The OhioHealth Story". The Donning Company Publishers.
7. "OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital Nationally Ranked in Neurology & Neurosurgery by U.S. News & World Report". U.S. News & World Report via OhioHealth.
8. "Hospitals in Central and Southeast Ohio".
9. "Individual Hospital Statistics for Ohio".
10. "Hospitals and Emergency Departments".
11. "Cross Health ministry is visible inside and outside of OhioHealth's walls".