The Minnesota Hospital Association is speaking out against a proposed law that would increase the state's oversight of hospital and health system mergers. 

The Health Care Authority of the City of Anniston (Ala.) has signed a letter of intent for RMC Health System to become an affiliate of Birmingham, Ala.-based UAB Health System.

Providence plans to expand its network of ASCs by deepening its partnership with Tenet-affiliate United Surgical Partners International.

Health systems are looking to combine their resources through mergers and acquisitions as financial challenges plague the industry. Now, state lawmakers want a hand in the deal. 

Lifepoint Health acquired a majority ownership interest in behavioral health network Springstone, closing a deal that adds 18 hospitals and 35 outpatient locations to the Lifepoint network. 

Columbus-based OhioHealth and Select Medical, an operator of long-term acute care and inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, have inked a definitive agreement to acquire the operating assets of Reunion Rehabilitation Hospital in Dublin, Ohio.

Private equity had its second-best year for healthcare services deal activity in 2022 — 2021 being the best — after firms announced or closed an estimated 863 transactions, according to a Feb. 3 report by market research firm Pitchbook.

More than 50 students and medical professionals from the Minneapolis-based University of Minnesota rallied Feb. 3 to protest the proposed merger between Sanford Health and Fairview Health Services, according to the Pioneer Press. 

Houston-based Nutex Health, a micro-hospital network, opened up its 22nd location in Fort Smith, Ark.

Bill Gassen, CEO of Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health, and James Hereford, CEO of Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services, responded to questions about their organizations' proposed merger in an interview with NBC affiliate KARE11. 

Here are 13 major hospital and healthcare merger and acquisition deals from January:

The Minnesota Nurses Association is encouraging legislators to pass a bill which would give the state's health department power to approve or deny hospital mergers based on how they can affect patients and communities. 

St. Augustine, Fla.-based Flagler Health+ plans to join UF Health, the University of Florida's academic health center, in 2023.

West Reading, Pa.-based Tower Health hopes to cement a deal to sell 17 of its urgent care centers in the coming months, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported Feb. 1

Dignity Health International, the international arm of Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health, has acquired a minority equity stake in RAK Hospital, one of the United Arab Emirates' most acclaimed private hospitals, according to the Khaleej Times.

Medical students, state representatives and a nurses union spoke out against a proposed merger between Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health and Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services at a Jan. 30 Minnesota House meeting. 

Cape Girardeau, Mo.-based SoutheastHealth has signed a letter of intent to merge with St. Louis-based Mercy, a 42-hospital system.

The New Jersey Department of Health is backing CarePoint Health's plan to maintain the nonprofit status of its three hospitals, indicating that the state health planning board may follow suit when it hears the case on Feb. 3, according to nj.com.

The North Carolina Senate is considering legislation requiring health systems to submit merger and acquisition proposals for review by the state's attorney general, the Winston-Salem Journal reported Jan. 30.

After a slight uptick last year, hospital and health system mergers and acquisitions are expected to continue to rise in 2023.