Hospital consolidation continues to gather momentum across the country, with one state in particular, Pennsylvania, seeing more merger and acquisition activity than any other.
Here are seven hospital and health system deals announced or completed in Pennsylvania so far this year:
1. Risant Health, part of Kaiser Permanente, acquired Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger Health, a 10-hospital system, on March 31. Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser said Risant plans to acquire four to five more community-based health systems over the next four to five years.
2. Washington (Pa.) Health, a two-hospital system, joined Pittsburgh-based UPMC in June. UPMC will invest at least $300 million over the next 10 years to improve services at the two hospitals, which have been rebranded as UPMC Washington and UPMC Greene hospitals.
3. WellSpan Health acquired Lewisburg, Pa.-based Evangelical Community Hospital, effective July 8. York, Pa.-based WellSpan now includes eight hospitals and more than 21,000 team members, including 2,000 employed providers.
4. Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health and Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Valley Health Network merged Aug. 1. The combination created one of the 15 largest nonprofit health systems in the U.S., with 32 hospitals and more than 700 sites of care.
5. Doylestown (Pa.) Health and Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania Health System in August signed a definitive agreement for Doylestown to become part of Penn Medicine, a six-hospital system. Pending final federal and state approvals, the systems aim to integrate clinical care and operations by early 2025
6. Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems plans to sell its three Pennsylvania hospitals to nonprofit organization WoodBridge Healthcare. The $120 million deal is anticipated to close in the fourth quarter.
7. Los Angeles-based Prospect Medical Holdings and CHA Partners signed a letter of intent in August for CHA to acquire Upland, Pa.-based Crozer Health. The proposed deal would involve transitioning Crozer's four hospitals back to nonprofit status. CHA, which owns five hospitals in New Jersey, is working to reach a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Crozer.