BJC HealthCare, based in St. Louis, and St. Luke's Health System, based in Kansas City, Mo., have signed a non-binding letter of intent to form an integrated academic health system.
The two entities envision the system will become "the premier Midwest destination for patient care, clinical research and medical education and the region's most exceptional place to work and practice medicine," according to a May 31 news release shared with Becker's.
BJC and St. Luke's operate the three top hospitals in Missouri, according to U.S. News & World Report. Together, they would pool $10 billion in revenue to serve more than 6 million residents across Missouri, Illinois and Kansas.
The proposed system would maintain BJC's and St. Luke's existing brands and operate from dual headquarters serving distinct markets. BJC would continue serving Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois out of St. Louis; St. Luke's would continue serving Western Missouri and portions of Kansas out of Kansas City.
Richard Liekweg, president and CEO of BJC, would become CEO of the integrated health system. The rest of its leadership team and board of directors would include representation from both health systems, with the flagship board chair coming from St. Luke's side.
The deal is expected to close by the end of 2023, pending regulatory review.