From BJC Health moving to add a St. Louis-area hospital to Parkview Health completing its acquisition of Ovation Healthcare, here are five hospital M&A moves that Becker’s reported during the week of Nov. 9:
1. Brentwood, Tenn.-based Ardent Health signed a definitive agreement to acquire Columbia, Mo.-based Boone Health for $47 million in cash.
The acquisition of the locally governed, nonprofit health system includes its 392-bed Boone Hospital Center, Boone Health Medical Group, 19 care sites and related ancillary services and associated real estate. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, subject to customary closing conditions.
2. St. Louis-based BJC Health and St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield, Mo., signed a letter of intent for St. Luke’s to join BJC.
Over the coming months, the organizations will work toward a definitive agreement and complete required regulatory reviews. As part of the deal, BJC plans to support St. Luke’s with clinical technology and equipment, facility and infrastructure upgrades, and provider recruitment and retention. St. Luke’s patients would also gain access to specialty and subspecialty care across BJC and St. Louis-based WashU Medicine. St. Luke’s is an independent nonprofit system with a 493-bed hospital in Chesterfield and 30 locations across the St. Louis area.
3. Morgantown, W.Va.-based WVU Health acquired Wheeling, W.Va.-based Orchard Park Hospital.
The hospital now operates as a remote campus of WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital and has been renamed WVU Medicine Healthy Minds – Kids. The facility will continue Orchard Park’s specialized behavioral and mental health care for children.
4. Brentwood, Tenn.-based Surgery Partners rejected an unsolicited $28-per-share offer from Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealth Group.
The ASC operator instead amended its merger agreement with HealthSpan Partners, an affiliate of Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health. The amendment raises the price to $25 per share from $23.50, putting the deal’s enterprise value at up to about $6 billion. Bain Capital, which holds about 39% of Surgery Partners’ shares, has agreed to vote for the HealthSpan deal. Surgery Partners has more than 200 locations in 30 states.
5. Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Parkview Health completed its acquisition of Ovation Healthcare, a shared services company that partners with more than 500 healthcare organizations across 48 states.
The acquisition aims to use shared services like revenue cycle management and information services to help lower administrative overhead and direct maximum resources to clinical care. It brings Parkview’s operational depth to a network spanning 48 states, addressing critical rural healthcare resource gaps and helping give community hospitals shared scale and infrastructure needed to remain open and solvent.
