Hospital M&A has not slowed down. Becker’s tracked 12 hospital deals in the last month alone as health systems continue consolidating amid rising costs and reimbursement pressure that many operators say no longer covers the cost of care.
For ASC leaders, the activity is a direct signal. Hospital ownership of ASCs has doubled over the last five years, and health systems growing through acquisition are increasingly prioritizing ambulatory surgery as part of their post-merger strategy.
Here are 12 hospital deals Becker’s has reported on since June 30:
1. Knox Community Hospital, a 99-bed hospital located in Mount Vernon, Ohio, signed a non-binding letter of intent to join Kettering (Ohio) Health.
2. Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health entered into an agreement to acquire ownership interests in two Idaho hospitals from Brentwood, Tenn.-based Surgery Partners.
3. Greenville, S.C.-based Prisma Health is poised to become a 27-hospital, multiregion health system through its proposed partnership with Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Erlanger Health. The organizations signed a nonbinding letter of intent July 22 for Erlanger, a seven-hospital system, to join Prisma.
4. Jackson-based University of Mississippi Medical Center received bankruptcy court approval July 17 to take over Greenwood (Miss.) Leflore Hospital, effective Aug. 1.
5. Montrose (Colo.) Regional Health and Grand Junction, Colo.-based Community Hospital are making progress to finalize a definitive agreement by fall 2026 to create a new, tax-exempt nonprofit parent organization.
6. Little Rock, Ark.-based Baptist Health acquired Magnolia (Ark.) Regional Medical Center on July 12. With the close of the acquisition, the 25-bed facility has been rebranded as Baptist Health Medical Center-Magnolia.
7. Minot, N.D.-based Trinity Health announced July 9 that it is exploring a strategic integration or partnership with a larger national or regional health system. The system said that rising costs to deliver care, combined with reimbursement from Medicare, Medicaid and commercial payers that fail to cover those costs, are driving the review.
8. Farmington, Conn.-based UConn Health plans to seek state approval to integrate Bristol (Conn.) Hospital and Putnam, Conn.-based Day Kimball Hospital into the UConn Health Community Network.
9. Franklin, Tenn.-based Williamson Health’s board voted unanimously July 6 to pursue a $700 million sale to Ascension Saint Thomas, which is part of St. Louis-based Ascension.
10. UC San Diego Health and Escondido, Calif.-based Palomar Health on July 1 completed a joint powers authority, forming a new health system called Palomar UC San Diego Health.
11. Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Health Network finalized an affiliation agreement July 1 to acquire Beaver, Pa.-based Heritage Valley Health System, bringing the system’s footprint to 16 hospitals.
12. Phoenix-based Banner Health has signed an asset purchase agreement to sell Banner Lassen Medical Center in Susanville, Calif., to an affiliate of Brentwood, Tenn.-based Quorum Health.
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.