Inland Orthopaedics of Spokane PS, an orthopedic practice located near Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children's Hospital, has notified patients that it will merge with Providence Physician Services, beginning Jan. 1, and will change its name to Providence Inland Orthopaedic.

The merger is the latest local example of what a recent New York Times story called "a growing frenzy of mergers involving hospitals, clinics, and doctor groups eager to share costs and savings, and cash in" on anticipated incentives under the controversial federal health-care law enacted earlier this year. It also reflects continuing efforts by competing hospital systems here to expand their networks and breadth of services and carve out important market share.

Providence Physician Services is the physician division of Providence Health Care, the big Spokane-based network that includes Sacred Heart, Providence Holy Family Hospital, and two other hospitals, plus laboratories, physician clinics, and a number of other facilities. The physician group provides practice management and recruitment services throughout the Providence Health Care system and now employs more than 135 primary-care, specialty-care, and hospital-based medical providers, plus a couple of hundred support staff members.

An Inland Orthopaedics representative couldn't be reached for comment. However, a spokesman for Providence Heath Care confirmed that Inland Orthopaedics will be joining the Providence doctors' group and said the 30-year-old practice includes five physicians, a physician's assistant, and 17 support staff members. The practice is located on the third floor of a medical office building at 820 S. McClellan, just southwest of Sacred Heart, and will remain there.

The practice offers specialized orthopedic treatments, including minimally invasive surgical procedures, that involve the hips, knees, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hands, its Web site says.

Earlier this year, Providence Health Care, Spokane Cardiology, and Heart Clinics Northwest announced that Providence would buy the two heart doctors groups and employ their physicians and staffs. The parties said they will seek to advance cardiac and vascular care through a new organization named Providence Spokane Heart Institute.

Then, last week, Inland Cardiology Associates PS announced that it has joined the integrated health-care delivery system that includes Deaconess Medical Center, Valley Hospital & Medical Center, and Rockwood Clinic. The two hospitals and Rockwood Clinic all now are owned by Community Health Systems Inc., the big for-profit Franklin, Tenn.-based health-care facility operator.

Inland Cardiology said in a news release that the agreement includes the sale and transfer of its assets to newly formed affiliates of the integrated network. The practice includes 12 physicians, eight mid-level providers, and about 140 employees who work in offices here and in Coeur d'Alene, the Tri-Cities, and the Oregon cities of Pendleton and Hermiston.

Inland Cardiology plans to retain its name, but said plans call for its Spokane offices, located at 122 W. Seventh, to move to the Deaconess campus.

Separately, the Wall Street Journal reported late last week that Community Health Systems has made a $3.3 billion unsolicited offer for smaller rival Tenet Healthcare Corp. in a dealt that would create the country's largest hospital operator as measured by number of facilities.

A melding of the two conglomerates, the newspaper said, would create a giant new company with about $22 billion in revenue from 176 hospitals in 30 states and a total of nearly 33,000 licensed beds