Transactions & Valuation Issues

The following hospital mergers and acquisitions took place within the past week, beginning with the most recent.

Pittsburgh-based West Penn Allegheny Health System's threat to abandon its affiliation agreement with Highmark is prompting questions about how the health insurer's strategy for an in-house provider network will survive, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.

Wheeling, W.Va.-based Ohio Valley Health Services and Education Corp., the parent company of Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling, W.Va., and East Ohio Regional Hospital in Martins Ferry, Ohio, have ended partnership talks with Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems, according…

Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton, Wash., has narrowed its list of potential partners to three non-profit hospital systems, according to a Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal report.

Brunswick, Maine-based Mid Coast Hospital's application to acquire Parkview Adventist Medical Center in Brunswick is "not subject to review" by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services' Licensing and Regulatory Services division, according to a Bangor Daily News report.

Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford and Goodall Hospital in Sanford, Maine, have announced the formation of a new parent company, Southern Maine Health Care, to be the York County member of MaineHealth System in Portland.

Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare completed the purchase of Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol, Pa.

Driggs, Idaho-based Teton Valley Health Care will officially convert from a county-owned entity to a non-profit organization after the board of county commissioners unanimously voted for the measure, according to a Teton Valley News report.

Many times when a merger or acquisition is announced, a hospital and/or health system's board of trustees or board of governors is behind the deal. If not directing the deal, the board's members are informed and involved in the transaction.…

Eight healthcare systems are interested in affiliating with Audrain Medical Center in Mexico, Mo., according to a Vandalia Leader report.