The planned merger between Cincinnati-based grocery store chain Kroger and Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons will not interfere with pharmacy and healthcare service operations at the 579 stores the companies plan to sell to Keene, N.H.-based C&S Wholesale Grocers. 

Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health and Marshfield (Wis.) Clinic Health System have signed a nonbinding agreement to merge into a 56-hospital system with more than 56,000 employees, including 4,300 providers. 

OhioHealth, based in Columbus, signed an agreement to sell certain assets of its outreach laboratory services business to Quest Diagnostics.

WellSpan Health has added 131-bed Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg, Pa., to its network.

Two rival hospitals in Terre Haute, Ind., seeking to merge are the first to test the state's certificate of public advantage (COPA) law, The Washington Post reported July 3. 

While other publicly traded, for-profit health systems have reduced their hospital portfolios in recent years, Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA has grown.

UCSF Health and California Attorney General Rob Bonta have signed a cooperative settlement agreement to preserve key services and clear the way for the health system's $100 million acquisition of two San Francisco hospitals. 

The proposed acquisition of Akron, Ohio-based Summa Health by Health Assurance Transformation Corp., or HATCo, is making progress, The Alliance Review reported July 2. 

Kittanning, Pa.-based Armstrong County Memorial Hospital is officially affiliated with Pennsylvania Mountain Care Network.

Liberty (Mo.) Hospital on July 1 officially joined the Kansas City-based University of Kansas Health System. 

Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Competition Director Henry Liu called Novant Health's decision to call off its plan to acquire two hospitals from Community Health Systems "a win for consumers."

Catholic Medical Center, a 330-bed regional health system in Manchester, N.H., is pursuing a deal to join HCA Healthcare. 

Bowling Green, Ky.-based Med Center Health has acquired Logan Memorial Hospital in Russellville, Ky., making it the health system's seventh hospital. 

Morehead, Ky.-based St. Claire HealthCare has officially joined Lexington-based UK HealthCare, part of the University of Kentucky in Lexington. 

Cooper University Health Care on July 1 completed the acquisition of  Cape May, N.J.-based Cape Regional Health System.

CommonSpirit Health is in the early stages of a potential sale of its critical access hospital in Devils Lake, N.D., to Altru Health System.

UnitedHealth Group's Optum has scrapped its plan to acquire Dallas-based Steward Health Care's physician group, Stewardship Health, The Boston Globe reported June 27.

The final days of the first half of 2024 saw several hospital merger and acquisition deals move forward.

Minneapolis-based Allina Health signed an agreement to sell some lab assets to Quest Diagnostics for improved access and affordability of services.

A definitive agreement has been signed for New Brunswick, N.J.-based Saint Peter's Healthcare System to join Morristown, N.J.-based Atlantic Health System.