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Source: Nashville Business Journal
Author: Joel Stinnett
Date: January 4, 2023
HCA Healthcare Inc. is looking to expand its footprint in Texas.
The Nashville-based hospital operator has entered into exclusive discussions to purchase the not-for-profit Wise Health System in Dallas-Fort Worth, according to a news release from Wise Health.
If an agreement is reached, Wise Health would join HCA’s Medical City Healthcare division.
HCA (NYSE: HCA) is Middle Tennessee’s largest publicly traded company, according to Nashville Business Journal research, with nearly 11,000 local employees and $58.75 billion of revenue in 2021. The company operates 182 hospitals across 20 states and the United Kingdom, more than any for-profit hospital operator in the U.S.
Forty-seven of those hospitals are in Texas — more than any other state outside of Florida — with 14 located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to the release. HCA is already the largest health care provider in the state.
Wise Health spans six Texas counties and is comprised of two inpatient hospitals — the 99-bed Decatur East Campus and the 51-bed Decatur West Campus — along with two surgery centers, an urgent care center, 20 primary and special care clinics and seven nursing homes, according to the system’s website. Founded in 1974, Wise Health employs more than 1,800 people.
The due diligence and acquisition process is expected to last “several months", according to the release, as the two parties negotiate a definitive agreement.
“The governing board of Wise Health System believes strongly that pursuing this path of collaboration is a crucial, proactive measure to ensure we are well-positioned to continue our mission of providing compassionate and innovative care to our community and patients with transparency and excellence for years to come,” Carey Williams, chairman of the governing board of Wise Health, said in the release. “The board unanimously supports exploring an affiliation with Medical City Healthcare so we may continue offering first-class care in our area.”
Texas has long been a priority for HCA, with the company announcing last year plans to build five new hospitals in the state — one in Dallas Fort-Worth, one in Houston, one in San Antonio and two in Austin.