Kansas City, Kan.-based The University of Kansas Health System has signed a definitive agreement to acquire full ownership of St. Francis Campus and its affiliated care sites in Topeka from Brentwood, Tenn.-based Ardent Health.
Four things to know:
1. The deal follows a joint venture of nearly 10 years between the two organizations, according to the Sept. 29 joint news release. Ardent has managed St. Francis’ operations and clinical functions since the partnership began in 2017. Under the new structure, those responsibilities will move to The University of Kansas Health System.
2. Ardent will stay involved in daily campus operations for a period of time after the deal closes so existing strategic projects can continue. The length of that period will be set at closing.
“We regularly evaluate our portfolio to ensure we’re focusing our resources where our operating model, scale and capabilities can have the greatest impact and create long-term value,” Ardent President and CEO Dave Caspers said in the release. “This transition reflects that approach, while positioning St. Francis to become more fully integrated with Kansas’s largest academic health system.”
3. The deal still needs regulatory approvals and must meet other customary closing conditions. Both organizations expect it to close by the end of 2026, and patients should not see any disruption to their care.
4. Since its formation, the partnership has added more than 20 clinics and outpatient sites and expanded cardiovascular and cancer care services.
The University of Kansas Health System plans to look for ways to strengthen services, expand specialties and build closer ties between St. Francis and the wider system while keeping care local, the release said.
