Miami-based Baptist Health South Florida and Boca Raton (Fla.) Regional Hospital signed a formal letter of intent to merge next year.
The decision comes after the 400-bed Boca Raton hospital conducted a nearly two-year search for a strategic health system partner. BRRH chose Baptist Health from a list of five competitors.
"Our goal was to use our success in recent years to attract other providers and establish a partnership that would enhance our capabilities and mitigate the challenges of a stand-alone hospital in a complex and evolving healthcare industry," Jerry Fedele, president and CEO of BRRH, said in a press release.
With 10 hospitals and more than 100 physician offices and outpatient locations, Baptist Health is the largest nonprofit health system in south Florida. Baptist Health and BRRH intend to reach a definitive agreement early next year and expect to finalize the deal by summer.
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