Baptist Health and Deaconess Health System have signed a memorandum of understanding to create a joint venture that will operate a rural Kentucky hospital. 

St. Louis-based SSM Health signed a definitive agreement to sell its 100-year-old Missouri hospital to Kansas City, Mo.-based Noble Health, according to ABC 17.

The Federal Trade Commission sent orders to six health insurers for claims data to help it study the effect of hospital acquisitions of physician groups. 

Nine transactions involving hospitals and health systems were announced, finalized or advanced in the last week:

Pittsburgh-based UPMC won approval to acquire a 105-year-old hospital in Kilkenny, Ireland, according to a Jan. 14 report in KCLR. 

Massachusetts General Hospital has pulled the plug on its plan to acquire a New Hampshire hospital and create a new Seacoast, N.H.-based nonprofit health system, according to the Union Leader.

Portland-based MaineHealth added a ninth hospital to its network this month, according to a disclosure notice published Jan. 13. 

In 2020, there were seven hospital and health system mergers involving two companies with more than $1 billion in annual revenue, according to an analysis by consulting firm Kaufman Hall. This compares to three megamergers announced in 2019. 

Tenet Healthcare, a 65-hospital system based in Dallas, plans to acquire 25 to 40 ambulatory surgery centers this year, according to the company's presentation Jan. 12 at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. 

Ascension Wisconsin plans to sell seven hospitals, 21 physician clinics and its patient transport services to Wausau, Wis.-based Aspirus Health.

The Pennsylvania attorney general has dropped his opposition to Jefferson Health's acquisition of Einstein Healthcare Network, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

UnitedHealth subsidiary Optum is in talks to acquire Atrius Health, a 715-physician group based in Newton, Mass., according to the Boston Business Journal.

Fourteen hospitals owned by Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health could join Duluth, Minn.-based Essentia Health as early as this summer.

St. Margaret's Hospital in Spring Valley, Ill., and Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru have consolidated their operations to form a regional healthcare network. 

Wauwatosa, Wis.-based Froedtert Health plans to acquire a majority stake in Manitowoc, Wis.-based Holy Family Memorial. 

Rochester (N.Y.) Regional Health, a five-hospital system, and St. Lawrence Health System, a three-hospital system in Potsdam, N.Y., have finalized an affiliation agreement.

Twenty-one transactions involving hospitals and health systems were announced, finalized or advanced in the last month:

Montrose (Colo.) Memorial Hospital signed a new management agreement with Community Hospital Consulting.

CHI Franciscan and Virginia Mason officially formed an 11-hospital health system Jan. 5. The system, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, will be part of Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health.

Virginia Mason Memorial in Yakima, Wash., has transitioned back to an independent hospital and reverted to its old name, according to the Yakima Herald-Republic.