HCA subsidiary buys St. Louis health care group

NOT FOR EXTERNAL DISTRIBUTION

Source: Nashville Business Journal

Author: Joel Stinnett

HealthTrust Purchasing Group L.P., an HCA Healthcare Inc. (NYSE: HCA) subsidiary, has bought St. Louis-based group purchasing organization Resource Optimization & Innovation, according to a news release. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

ROI (stylized ROi) is the health system-operated purchasing group for Mercy, one of the largest Catholic health systems in the country. Mercy operates more than 40 hospitals, according to its website. 

The deal will make HealthTrust the exclusive group purchasing organization for Mercy, Orlando Health Inc. and Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System.

“We understand the needs of Catholic health systems and believe we are uniquely positioned to support them in delivering high-quality care, providing value and honoring their mission of caring for those in need,” Ed Jones, president and CEO of HealthTrust, said in the release. “This is a unique transaction that aligns true operators and affords us an opportunity to build on ROI’s legacy of performance. I am confident it will strengthen our operator experience and provide further insights for the benefit of our respective members.”

Nashville-based HealthTrust works with more than 1,500 hospitals and health systems, according to the release, as well as more than 35,000 facilities, such as ambulatory surgery centers and physician practices. The deal is expected to close by late summer.

“Mercy founded ROI in 2002 to manage our supply chain and we’ve watched it grow and innovate to become a highly-recognized supply chain organization,” Lynn Britton, president and CEO of Mercy, said in the release. “As part of HealthTrust, ROI has the opportunity to accelerate its progress and strengthen its capabilities in support of Mercy, other ROI members and HealthTrust members.”