Transactions & Valuation Issues

Aetna and Humana's decision to ditch their proposed $37 billion merger struck a chord with Becker's Hospital Review payer issues readers this week.

Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems has signed a definitive agreement to sell eight hospitals in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania to Boston-based Steward Health Care.

Five years after beginning work on a proposed merger to combine 10 of its entities, Buffalo, N.Y.-based Catholic Health System officials said the integration project will not be completed until at least 2018, according to Buffalo Business First.

Durham, N.C.-based Duke Health and Raleigh, N.C.-based WakeMed Health & Hospitals signed an agreement to integrate their heart programs into a single heart service, effective March 1.

Minneapolis-based Allina Health extended its health insurance partnership with Bloomington, Minn.-based HealthPartners.

The following payers made headlines this past week, beginning with the most recent.

Bon Secours Medical Group, part of Bon Secours St. Francis Health System in Greenville, S.C., dropped its contract with Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealthcare. The change was effective Feb. 14, according to a GreenvilleOnline report.

Under a new agreement, Madison, N.J.-based Quest Diagnostics will assume management responsibilities for 11 PeaceHealth outreach laboratory services operations. If approved, the acquisition will lay off nearly 500 employees at the Vancouver, Wash.-based health system, according to The Columbian.

Jasper, Ind.-based Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center is partnering with The Milk Bank, a nonprofit, to open one of the first breast milk collection sites in the area, effective Feb. 22, according to The Dubois County Herald.

Speaking at a Wall Street Journal conference, Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini said the ACA exchanges are "in a death spiral."