San Antonio-based Methodist Healthcare has acquired San Antonio Rehabilitation Hospital from NewEra IRF Holdings, an integrated commercial real estate development and capital investment company.

Worcester, Mass.-based UMass Memorial Health has acquired Milford (Mass.) Regional Medical Center and the Milford Regional Physician Group as part of a new corporate affiliation.

Bellevue, Wash.-based Overlake Medical Center & Clinics has officially joined Tacoma, Wash.-based MultiCare Health System.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have given the state's attorney general the authority to review and veto private equity healthcare deals deemed bad for patients and consumers, NPR affiliate KQED reported Sept. 30. 

Detroit-based Henry Ford Health and Ascension Michigan have officially launched their joint venture to improve healthcare access, experience and outcomes. 

Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare has completed the sale of its 70% majority ownership interest in Birmingham, Ala.-based Brookwood Baptist Health to Orlando (Fla.) Health. 

Iredell Health System acquired Davis Regional Psychiatric Hospital and Davis Regional Medical Center in Statesville, N.C., from Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems, effective Oct. 1. 

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont held a meeting the week of Sept. 16 with leaders of Los Angeles-based Prospect Medical Holdings and Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health to try and provide "tough love" to revive a stalled $435 million deal for Yale New Haven to take on three Prospect hospitals in Connecticut. 

Portland-based Oregon Health & Science University has filed a healthcare market oversight notice with the Oregon Health Authority that details plans to become an integrated, full-service public university health system with Portland, Ore.-based Legacy Health. 

Jackson (Ala.) Medical Center will transition to public ownership on Oct. 1, The Clarke County Democrat reported Sept. 26.

Santa Clara (Calif.) County's board of supervisors voted unanimously to appropriate $315 million toward its efforts to acquire East San Jose, Calif.-based Regional Medical Center from HCA Healthcare and restore services, the San Jose Spotlight reported Sept. 24. 

When an independent hospital is acquired by a multi-hospital health system, costs are generally reduced by cutting support staff and prices typically increase. Regardless of ownership status, hospitals tend to raise prices after acquisition, especially when joining a health system in the same market, but the effect on care quality still needs further investigation, according to a University of Pennsylvania study published Sept. 23 in the Journal of Political Economy Microeconomics.

Hopkinsville, Ky.-based Jennie Stuart Health has signed a non-binding letter of intent to join Deaconess Health System, an 18-hospital system headquartered in Evansville, Ind.

Nonprofit organization WoodBridge Healthcare intends to use bond financing debt to acquire a three-hospital system in Pennsylvania from Community Health Systems, The Scranton Times-Tribune reported Sept. 23. 

Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital, an 80-bed facility in Dixon, Ill., has received approval to join Peoria, Ill.-based OSF HealthCare. 

Christus Health Ark-La-Tex, part of Irving, Texas-based Christus Health, is assuming operations of Dallas-based Steward Health Care's Wadley Regional Medical Center in Texarkana, Texas.

San Angelo, Texas-based Shannon Medical Center has acquired River Crest Hospital from King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services, a spokesperson for UHS confirmed to Becker's.

For the past few decades, health systems have struggled to find ways to boost revenue amid growing financial stress. The pressure on hospitals has steadily built up over the years, especially in wake of the pandemic. The answer for many is to merge. 

Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics are snapping up lab assets from several health systems. Here are seven deals that Becker's has reported in 2024: 

Bethlehem, Pa.-based St. Luke's University Health Network is in talks to acquire Grand View Health in Sellersville, Pa., The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Sept. 16.