State regulators on Dec. 30 made the merger application public for Lifespan, Care New England and Brown University, all Providence, R.I.-based, The Boston Globe reported.

Hospital deals involving Intermountain Healthcare, LifePoint Health, Ascension, Tenet Healthcare and other major systems were popular among readers this year.

Irving, Texas.-based Exela Technologies has expanded its existing relationship with an unnamed multinational managed care corporation by implementing PCH Global Cloud services for Medicaid programs.

Brentwood, Tenn.-based LifePoint Health has completed its acquisition of Louisville, Ky.-based Kindred Healthcare and officially launched ScionHealth, a new healthcare company related to the transaction.

Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare and San Francisco-based Carbon Health are strengthening their partnership by bringing Carbon's urgent care clinics to Prime's markets through virtual and in-clinic visits.

Tenet Healthcare and its subsidiary United Surgical Partners International have completed their acquisition of Towson, Md.-based SurgCenter Development.

Nine transactions involving hospitals and health systems have been announced, advanced or finalized since Dec. 1:

Franklin, Tenn.-based Acadia Healthcare has completed the real estate purchase of three nonoperational facilities in Chicago and will establish a behavioral health system called Montrose Behavioral Health Hospital.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta approved a new partnership between Oakland-based Kaiser and Apple Valley-based Providence St. Mary Medical Center, but with several conditions.

Vineland, N.J.-based Inspira Health has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Salem (N.J.) Medical Center. 

Hospital mergers and acquisitions can lead to higher prices and cut services for rural hospitals but can also improve patient care outcomes at rural hospitals, according to three recent studies reported in Becker's.

Sentara Healthcare, Old Dominion University and Eastern Virginia Medical Center, all based in Norfolk, Va., signed an agreement to find options for closer affiliation that can improve educational research and healthcare in the Hampton Roads region.

Murray, Utah-based Intermountain Healthcare acquired an old Sears building in the city for future healthcare services, 2KUTV reported Dec. 17.

St. Augustine, Fla.-based Flagler Health+ has acquired about 70 acres of land in Palm Coast, Fla., which will be used to build a health complex with an inpatient hospital.

Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare and Broomfield, Colo.-based SCL Health signed a definitive agreement to merge, the organizations said Dec. 15. 

Independent analysts said the proposed merger between Augusta, Ga.-based University Hospital and Atlanta-based Piedmont Healthcare is a good deal, even though the COVID-19 pandemic has made the healthcare environment "very volatile," The Augusta Chronicle reported Dec. 15.

Nashville, Tenn.-based Ascension Saint Thomas signed a definitive agreement to add Three Rivers Hospital in Waverly, Tenn., to its health system, Nashville Business Journal reported Dec. 14.

Broomfield, Colo.-based SCL Health and Franklin, Tenn.-based Acadia Healthcare have formed a joint venture, which will build a 144-bed freestanding behavioral health hospital in the Denver area.

Recent policy changes by the Federal Trade Commission could hurt rural hospitals in the U.S., many of which are struggling financially, Ken Summers, former chair of the Health and Environment Committee in the Colorado House of Representatives, wrote Dec. 13 in RealClearMarkets.

West Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health is exploring a deal to sell three of its hospitals in central Illinois to Urbana, Ill.-based Carle Health.