Four health organizations are vying to become the manager of 397-bed Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, Mo., according to the Columbia Daily Tribune.
The hospital's board of trustees released the names of the interested institutions Thursday. Interested parties include St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare — which currently manages the hospital center — Kansas City, Mo.-based Saint Luke's Health System and Brentwood, Tenn.-based Duke LifePoint Healthcare. Officials had also been considering a potential agreement with the Columbia-based University of Missouri Health Care, but the board "called the potential arrangement … a partnership instead of a lease," according to the report.
Board members are also reportedly considering a fifth management option — make Boone Hospital Center a standalone facility.
The hospital's board of trustees began seeking management proposals in March 2016. The submission deadline for applications is June 30. Officials said they will not make a decision until they have conducted public hearings and have received input from hospital employees and staff, according to the report.
Boone Hospital Center's current lease agreement with BJC Health Care expires in 2020. Both parties must declare their decision to continue, modify or end the lease by the end of 2018.