The University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington on Jan. 23 submitted a certificate-of-need application to the Green Mountain Care Board, seeking approval to buy the Fanny Allen campus for $17.3 million. 

Marc Harrison, MD, CEO of General Catalyst's Health Assurance Transformation Corp., or HATCo, said one of the venture capital firm's goals is to put Akron, Ohio-based Summa Health "on a trajectory to become a forever organization for the community it serves." 

Healthcare merger and acquisition activity has been up and down over the last few years, with activity slow in the first three quarters of last year. However, 2024 will be a "vigorous season for M&A activity in healthcare," according to a Jan. 22 Grant Thornton report.

In the last two months, HCA Healthcare has scooped up multiple hospitals, freestanding emergency departments and surgery centers in Texas. 

Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health has entered into a service agreement with Upland, Pa.-based Crozer Health to provide neurological care services in Pennsylvania's Delaware County.

Surgery Ventures, operated by Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, has acquired majority stakes in two ambulatory surgery centers in North Texas and will manage day-to-day operations at both facilities, a spokesperson for the health system told Becker's.

A dozen states make up the Midwest, but many more Americans in neighboring states think they, too, are part of the region. 

Academic health systems are coming to the rescue of community hospitals through creative alignments, partnerships and acquisitions to ensure access to care.

Mercy Health and Brentwood, Tenn.-based Lifepoint Health have completed a joint venture agreement to operate Rogers (Ark.) Rehabilitation Hospital, a 140-bed facility, which is now named Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital Northwest Arkansas.

CareView Communications, a health IT company, is partnering with an unnamed Montana-based health system to expand its Pacific Northwest presence. 

General Catalyst's leaders said its proposed acquisition of Akron, Ohio-based Summa Health should not be "mischaracterized as another 'private equity' deal."

Milford (Mass.) Regional Medical Center and Worcester-based UMass Memorial Health have signed a definitive agreement for their affiliation.

Hospital and health system merger and acquisition activity increased 27% year over year in 2023, and 2024 is already off to a busy start.

Jersey City, N.J.-based CarePoint Health and Hudson Regional Hospital in Secaucus, N.J., have signed a letter of intent to combine under a new management company, Hudson Health System, which will incorporate the acute care facilities of both organizations.

Cincinnati-based Mercy Health acquired the Orthopedic Institute of Western Kentucky in Paducah, effective Jan. 1.

Editor's Note: The headline for this article in the Becker's Hospital Review E-newsletter on Jan. 12 stated that Penn Medicine would acquire six hospitals, which is incorrect. Penn Medicine is a six-hospital system and would become a seven-hospital system should the proposed transaction be completed.  The University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia and Doylestown (Pa.) Health have signed a nonbinding letter of intent to explore if Doylestown will become part of Penn Medicine, a six-hospital system.

Hospital and health system merger and acquisition activity increased 27% year over year to 75 announced transactions in 2023, according to a report published Jan. 2 by Cain Brothers, a division of Key Banc Capital Markets.

Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics are snapping up lab businesses from health systems across the U.S. Here are seven deals Becker's has reported since March 20:

Health systems are pursuing joint ventures and service line partnerships in multiple sectors this year, including outpatient surgery, behavioral health, post-acute care, physician services, urgent care and hospital-at-home programs. 

The Federal Trade Commission has begun a review of Pittsburgh-based UPMC's plans to acquire Washington Health System, according to a Jan. 10 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.