Transactions & Valuation Issues

The trend of hospital mergers and consolidation may actually lead to higher costs in some markets while showing no marked improvements in quality, according to an essay by William B. Vogt, PhD, senior economist for the RAND Corp.

Healthcare is one of the only sectors of the economy where construction is expected to grow in 2010, benefiting from relatively stable costs of construction materials, according to a release by Associated Builders and Contractors.

The 264-bed Olean (N.Y.) General Hospital and 150-bed Bradford (Pa.) Regional Medical Center have merged to form Upper Allegheny Health System, according to a release from the hospitals.

Austin, Texas-based Seton Family of Hospitals may consider acquiring King's Daughters Hospital in Temple, Texas, after the company was contacted by Smith & White Healthcare, which operates the hospital, according to a report in the Temple Daily Telegram.

Portsmouth, Va.-based Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health System is the third health system to announce its interest in opening an outpatient surgery center in rural Isle of Wight County, Va., according to a report by the Daily Press.

Officials from Gadsden Community Hospital in Quincy, Fla., and Hospital Corporation of America are beginning negotiations that could result in HCA taking over operations of the public hospital, according to a report by the Tallahassee Democrat.

Western Maryland Health System, a public health system based in Cumberland, Md., will open the Western Maryland Regional Medical Center in Cumberland on Nov. 21, according to the health system.

Here are statistics on federal healthcare fraud investigations resulting in charges and recoveries from 1999-2009, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General's Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program Report.

Plans for a merger between Scott & White Healthcare and King's Daughters Hospital in Temple, Texas, are off after a ruling by the Federal Trade Commission, according to a report from KWTX News.

Regent Surgical Health, a leading developer of surgery centers and physician-owned hospitals, is partnering once again with Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center of Reno, Nev., to develop and manage the Summit Surgery Center at Saint Mary's Galena, the second joint…