In January, all staff of Emory Children’s Center, Emory Hospitals, Emory Clinic and Wesley Woods will unite as employees of Emory Healthcare (EHC).

The change is part of a continuing evolution of EHC—the entity comprising those components of the University dedicated to “making people healthy”—into a fully integrated, patient-centered health system better able to respond to competitive forces in the Atlanta health care market.

To compete effectively in the marketplace, EHC will have its own customized benefits program distinct from the University’s.

“The new Emory Healthcare benefits program is designed to give employees a choice of benefits that better meet their individual needs,” said John Fox, president and CEO. “Many of the benefits have been modified to ensure a consistent benefit program for all health care employees.”

This fall, there will be two separate benefits open enrollment periods, one for Emory University (Monday, Oct. 21, through Friday, Nov. 8), and another for Emory Healthcare (Monday, Oct. 7, through Friday, Oct. 25).

All EHC employees will need to enroll and select options for their medical, dental and vision benefits; supplemental life and personal accident insurance; short- and long-term disability; flexible spending accounts; retirement savings/matching plan; and pension plan. New EHC benefits programs also include group legal, employee education and the Georgia Higher Education Savings Plan, as well as discounted home and car insurance plans.

“By offering benefits plans specifically tailored toward our individual marketplaces, Emory will retain the competitive edge as an ‘employer of choice’ in both the health care and higher education arenas,” said Alice Miller, vice president for Human Resources.

“Not only will the new benefits plan attract qualified candidates, it will eliminate internal barriers for growth and promotion,” added Peg Bloomquist, associate administrator of Emory Hospitals. “Under the previous structure of the separate entities, there were inconsistent benefit plans. Now, employees at the Emory Children’s Center, Crawford Long, Emory Hospital, Emory Clinic and Wesley Woods will be able to move seamlessly throughout the system, taking advantage of job mobility. In addition, Emory Healthcare will be better able to manage costs and services over the long term by streamlining the administration process.”