HCA struck an agreement to acquire an 8,000-student healthcare college, and an independent Maine hospital cleared a regulatory hurdle to joining MaineHealth. Here are three hospital M&A moves that Becker’s reported during the week of May 25:
1. York (Maine) Hospital is a step closer to joining Portland-based MaineHealth after receiving certificate-of-need approval from the state’s department of health and human services.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services approved the transaction, subject to several conditions. For three years after the merger, MaineHealth cannot eliminate healthcare services or make significant changes to service access without the department’s prior written approval. The health system must also submit York Hospital’s audited financial statements to the department annually during that period.
The independent hospital signed a letter of intent in October to join MaineHealth, citing an increasingly challenging healthcare landscape. The deal still needs approval from the Maine attorney general’s office, and MaineHealth is also awaiting further regulatory review from the state.
2. Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare agreed to acquire The College of Health Care Professions, a Houston-based allied healthcare training provider that enrolls more than 8,000 students annually across 10 Texas campuses and online.
The deal extends HCA’s growing bet on owning the education pipeline. The system acquired a majority stake in Galen College of Nursing in 2020 and has since invested more than $300 million to expand it to 25 campuses nationwide. HCA also operates Research College of Nursing in Kansas City, Mo., and HCA Florida Mercy College of Nursing in Miami.
The transaction remains subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions. CHCP Chancellor and CEO Eric Bing will continue to lead CHCP following the close of the acquisition.
3. Raleigh, N.C.-based WakeMed Health & Hospitals said it plans to continue pursuing its proposed combination with Atrium Health after receiving an unsolicited partnership proposal from Chapel Hill, N.C.-based UNC Health earlier this month.
WakeMed confirmed it received a proposal from UNC Health May 5, days after the Atrium transaction became public.
WakeMed said in a statement that its board determined after a two-year evaluation process that a “strategic combination with Atrium Health is in the best interest of WakeMed and the communities we serve.” WakeMed also said a merger with UNC Health could reduce competition in Wake County, where UNC Health operates UNC Rex Hospital in Raleigh.
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