How to survive a hospital affiliation and/or merger.

Merger mania has taken firm hold of growth-oriented corporate America during the Reagan administration. Health care has not been exempt from this trend as the growth of proprietary chains such as AMI, HCA and Humana bear witness. As not-for-profit hospitals are forced to grapple with survival in an increasingly competitive and circumscribed business environment, they, too, will continue to pursue a course of greater affiliation. Amid this corporate reshuffling hospital materials managers need to know how they will fare in the changing marketplace.