St. Louis-based Ascension and Renton, Wash.-based Providence St. Joseph Health are reportedly discussing a potential merger that, if successful, would make the combined nonprofit entity the largest hospital operator in the nation, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Here are five things to know about the proposed deal.
1. The merged entity would comprise 191 hospitals across 27 states with an annual revenue of $44.8 billion, based on the health systems' most recent financial reports, according to The Wall Street Journal.
2. Both Catholic health systems have reportedly been negotiating the deal "for months" but have yet to reach an agreement, sources told the publication. The sources said the discussions have included a variety of combinations short of a merger, the report states.
3. The financial terms of the agreement were not available.
4. If the transaction is successful, the combined organization would surpass the nation's current largest hospital operator, Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, which owns 177 hospitals and obtained $41.5 billion in revenue at the end of 2016, the report states.
5. The combination would also surpass the proposed merger between San Francisco-based Dignity Health and Englewood, Colo.-based Catholic Health Initiatives, which officials announced Dec. 7. Together, Dignity and CHI own 139 hospitals and would amass combined revenues of $28.4 billion.
Editor's note: Becker's Hospital Review reached out to Ascension and Providence St. Joseph Health for comment and will update the article as more information becomes available.