St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare is seeking total ownership of two Illinois hospitals the health system acquired through a merger in 2016, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
BJC HealthCare acquired Memorial Hospital Belleville (Ill.) and Shiloh, Ill.-based Memorial Hospital East through an integration with Belleville-based Memorial Medical Group completed in January 2016.
Under the agreement, the organizations formed Memorial Regional Health Services, which serves as the parent company of both Illinois hospitals. Both institutions maintained equal representation on MRHS' board.
However, BJC HealthCare filed an application with the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board Nov. 17 requesting it gain full control of MRHS. Officials said in the application the move would improve MRHS' finances and provide the hospitals with "improved negotiating power with third-party payers," according to the report.
The ownership transfer, if approved, would be effective Jan. 1, 2018.