Dive Brief:
- SSM Health will soon be the new owner of St. Louis University (SLU) Hospital, which is currently owned by Tenet Healthcare Corp. of Dallas.
- St. Louis University is buying the hospital from Tenet, and will then contribute it to SSM Health in a separate transaction.
- The sale of the academic medical center is expected to be completed sometime during the third quarter of 2015.
Dive Insight:
For some time now, SSM has been looking to add an academic medical center to its 19-hospital network, and has specifically set its sights on SLU. The acquisition of SLU will allow SSM to go head-to-head with competitor BJC HealthCare, which owns Barnes-Jewish Hospital, another academic medical center in St. Louis.
By acquiring SLU, SSM is also opening its doors to unions, as many of the nurses at SLU belong to National Nurses United.