Ending a nearly 30-year operating agreement, St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare will no longer run Columbia, Mo.-based Boone Hospital Center when the lease between the two expires at the end of 2020, reports the Columbia Missourian.
Boone Hospital's board of trustees said it made the decision to part ways with BJC because their "mutual needs no longer closely align."
BJC's contract requires either party to notify the other before the end of 2018 of intent to discontinue the operating agreement.
"BJC has committed to working with the Trustees to ensure a smooth transition," the trustees said in a statement, according to the Columbia Missourian. "Under BJC’s leadership, Boone Hospital Center has received national recognition and awards for excellent patient care — developing into mid-Missouri's highest quality, lowest cost hospital and one of the area’s largest employers."
The end of the agreement signals change for Boone Hospital, which will need to find a new operator or manage the hospital as a stand-alone facility.
In 2016, the board of trustees floated several ideas for future operations, including partnering with University of Missouri Health Care in Columbia, St. Luke's Health System in Kansas City, Mo., or Duke LifePoint Healthcare based in Brentwood, Tenn. The board also considered operating the county-owned hospital as a stand-alone facility.
The board of trustees expects to make a decision on the future management of Boone Hospital within the next six months.