Novant Health is looking to acquire a 200-provider urgent care group from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina.
Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant entered into a definitive agreement with Columbia-based BCBS of South Carolina July 19 to purchase UCI Medical Affiliates, which includes its affiliates Doctors Care and Progressive Physical Therapy.
Doctors Care, an urgent care network, was established in Columbia, S.C. in 1981. It employs 1,100 healthcare professionals, with nearly 200 providers focused on urgent care, family care, occupational medicine and employee wellness.
"With nearly 200 providers and 75 locations in South Carolina, Novant Health's acquisition allows for the creation of a provider network that extends our reach to more communities across the state," a Novant spokesperson said in a statement shared with Becker's Aug. 6. "We look forward to extending our nationally recognized safety and quality program to these clinics and providing an exceptional level of care for South Carolinians."
The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2024. Terms were not disclosed.
The deal comes on the heels of an M&A setback for Novant. In June, the system called off its planned $320 million acquisition of two North Carolina hospitals from Community Health Systems after an appellate court granted the Federal Trade Commission an emergency injunction blocking the deal.
"The communities served by these facilities deserve better than the fate they've been dealt by the FTC so we will look for other ways to support patients and clinicians in these communities," Novant said in a statement to Becker's in June upon announcing its decision to call off the CHS acquisition.