Healthcare Brew covers pharmaceutical developments, health startups, the latest tech, and how it impacts hospitals and providers to keep administrators and providers informed.

Healthcare Brew

Cassie McGrath

Healthcare Brew delivers the latest news and trends in healthcare.

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Welcome back to Signed and Scrubbed, a monthly roundup of hospital deals, developments, and bankruptcies.

This month, UnitedHealth Group officially acquired home health company Amedisys, while Franklin, Tennessee-based health system Community Health Systems (CHS) sold off more hospitals after selling or looking to sell nearly 40 hospitals in the last five years.

We pulled together a list of provider transactions from August. Here’s the rundown.

On Aug. 20, Memphis, Tennessee-based Baptist Memorial Health Care signed a definitive agreement to purchase 96-bed OCH Regional Medical Center in Starkville, Mississippi, from the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors for $55 million. The sale would mark Baptist Memorial’s 25th hospital.

CHS signed a letter of intent on Aug. 6 to sell three of its for-profit Pennsylvania hospitals valued at $120 million to nonprofit Tenor Health Foundation, which helps distressed hospitals. CHS seems to be on a selling streak, announcing the sale, or shedding, of 39 hospitals since 2020, Becker’s 

Based in Flint, Michigan, Insight has walked away from a proposed deal with Hollister, California-based Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital on Aug. 13 due to “unprecedented uncertainty stemming from the recently signed One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the system said in a statement.

The 143-bed St. Luke’s Des Peres Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, closed on Aug. 1 due to “pressures, making continued operation as an acute care facility no longer sustainable,” 

. The facility had treated patients in the area for more than 50 years.

Health giant UnitedHealth Group officially completed its acquisition of home care provider Amedisys on Aug. 14. The $3.3 billion deal faced a Department of Justice probe, and the two companies had to sell assets (164 home health and hospice facilities in 19 states) for the deal to go through.

Hospital building split in half collaged with briefcase and $100 bill. Credit: Illustration: Anna Kim, Photos: Adobe Stock.

Signed and Scrubbed: August 2025 hospital M&A

UnitedHealth officially closed its acquisition of Amedisys this month after a federal probe, plus other updates.

illustrated headshot of caroline catherman, healthcare brew reporter

Caroline Catherman

UnitedHealth Group has finally gotten federal approval to buy home health and hospice company Amedisys.

 of financial struggle for the vertically integrated healthcare goliath.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) sued to block the $3.3 billion buy on Nov. 12 alongside the attorneys general of Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York. They argued it would eliminate competition between the companies, two of the largest home and hospice care providers in the country.

Then-US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement at the time this “unlawful consolidation and monopolization” would threaten “vulnerable patients, their families, and healthcare workers.” The suit said that if the merger proceeded in its original form, UnitedHealth would control 30% or more of home health or hospice services in eight states.

But on Aug. 7, the DOJ proposed a settlement allowing the merger to go forward. United and Amedisys just have to sell off 164 home health and hospice locations across 19 states, which account for about $528 million in revenue—a small portion of United’s worth.

 also added provisions like appointing a monitor to ensure UnitedHealth and Amedisys stick to the plan.

United had around a $271 billion market cap as of Wednesday at 12pm ET after getting up to a nearly $600 billion market cap in April.

UnitedHealth’s Amedisys acquisition to move forward after compromise with DOJ

The DOJ had sued to block UnitedHealth from buying Amedisys in November.

This month, there were at least seven deals and closures on July 1 alone. But don’t fret, there was more news from the rest of the month as well.

We compiled noteworthy provider transactions from July. Here’s what you need to know.

Providence, Rhode Island-based physician group Anchor Medical Associates permanently closed all three of its locations on July 1, leaving a 

On July 1, St. Louis-based health system Ascension subsidiary Ascension Seton acquired 

 of Texas-based Cedar Park Regional Medical Center, a 126-bed facility, for $436 million.

. Alhambra, California-based Astrana Health acquired Los Angeles’s Prospect Health System, which includes the 177-bed Foothill Regional Medical Center, for $708 million on July 1.

Baystate Health, which has 900 beds across five hospitals, is allegedly considering acquiring 182-bed Mercy Medical Center, which would bring together the two biggest hospitals in Springfield, Massachusetts, 

Beacon Health System finalized its acquisition of Ascension Southwest Michigan on July 1, adding four hospitals to the South Bend, Indiana-based system. The hospitals include 422-bed acute care hospital Beacon Kalamazoo, 25-bed Beacon Allegan, 25-bed Beacon Dowagiac, and 43-bed Beacon Plainwell. The deal also includes 35 outpatient clinics and an ambulatory surgery center.

Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative (CVHC).

 Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin-based Chippewa Valley Health Cooperative bought the former St. Joseph’s Hospital from Hospital Sisters Health System on July 1. Now called the Chippewa Valley Cooperative Hospital, the facility will serve patients while CVHC builds a new hospital in Lake Hallie, which is set to open in the beginning of 2028.

On July 8, Hugh Chatham Health, which includes an 81-bed facility and is based in Elkin, North Carolina, announced a merger with Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist. Under the partnership, Atrium pledged a $100 million investment in Hugh Chatham Health, which has 25 locations and 70 providers.

Rockford, Illinois-based system Mercyhealth announced a “temporary suspension” of services at its main 195-bed hospital Javon Bea Hospital-Rockton on July 1.

 Bedford, New Hampshire-based SolutionHealth filed a “disaffiliation agreement” to return to two independent systems. In 2018, Manchester-based Elliot Health System and Nashua-based Southern New Hampshire Health had signed an affiliation agreement to become one health system, but 

 July 16 they’re looking to separate again.

 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania-based St. Luke’s University Health Network finalized the acquisition of its 16th hospital on July 1: the 207-bed Grand View Health in Sellersville, Pennsylvania.

 Marlton, New Jersey-based Virtua Health and Wilmington, Delaware-based ChristianaCare signed a letter of intent on July 16 to co-found a “regional not-for-profit health system” across New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The plan would include 600 care sites and 30,000 employees.

Signed and Scrubbed: July 2025 hospital M&A

July 1 alone saw seven deals and closures. 

Nicole Ortiz

When you think “healthcare,” the first place your mind probably goes is Best Buy, right?

No? Well, perhaps that’s a good thing, seeing as it recently divested from its hospital-at-home offering and restructured its health business.

In 2021, the tech retailer acquired the Current Health virtual care platform for roughly $400 million, and in 2023, it shared plans to 

 its healthcare services. But the company’s health arm struggled, recording a Q4 $475 million goodwill impairment charge, which contributed to a nearly 16% stock drop on March 4 and led to a 

 that included an announcement to lay off 161 employees, effective this September.

Current Health announced the split from Best Buy at the end of June. It will be reacquired by co-founder Christopher McGhee, who started the company in 2014, for an unspecified amount. According to a LinkedIn 

, Current Health treated 70,000+ patients during its time under the Best Buy umbrella and had partnerships with major health systems like New York-based Mount Sinai Health System and NYU Langone Health.

“Investors are becoming increasingly cautious about big-name retail companies expanding into healthcare,” David Hamlette, health and wellness analyst at market researcher Mintel, told us via email. “Investors are wary because the long-term profitability and sustainability of these healthcare ventures remain unclear, especially as retailers continue to experiment with digital strategies and partnerships.”

Best Buy and Current Health did not respond to requests for comment.

In general, this seems to follow a trend: Companies saw that healthcare and virtual care were experiencing a boom during and after the height of the 

 and wanted to find a way in, Lucienne Ide, founder and CEO of digital health company Rimidi, told Healthcare Brew.

“A bunch of people thought, ‘Oh, how hard is this? We do virtual business in all other sectors, we can jump in and do this in healthcare,’” she said. “And it’s just not the same.”

According to data from researcher eMarketer, retail health clinics saw the most growth in use (over 51%) compared to other nontraditional care venues between 2020 and 2021. And that was largely because these retailers could offer more convenience, better price transparency, and a customer service element, Ide said.

“These big guys didn’t fail because they had nothing to offer,” she added. “They had a whole lot to offer. They just didn’t have all of this equity that we have in healthcare.”

Now, we’re seeing these retailers divest from parts of their healthcare offerings or ending them altogether after the pandemic bubble burst.

If you’re feeling a sense of déjà vu, that’s because last April, Walmart made a similar move by ending its 

. Or perhaps you’re thinking of Walgreens, which has struggled to 

 its VillageMD primary care offering (which is still of interest for its 

, private equity firm Sycamore Partners).

“Divesting from underperforming healthcare assets is increasingly seen as a necessary move to address stakeholder concerns and adapt to market realities,” Hamlette said.

 related to these healthcare investments, retailer options also contribute to rising healthcare costs when patients receive “disjointed care” that results in “duplicate care, duplicate testing—a lot of inefficiency in the system,” Ide said.

“I don’t think anyone has cracked the nut on it,” she said.

Retailers like Best Buy are divesting from their healthcare offerings following stakeholder wariness

Once seen as an opportunity for growth, big-name retailers still aren’t seeing financial gains from acquisitions and investments.

Retailers like Best Buy are divesting from healthcare offerings following stakeholder wariness

This month, Emory Healthcare in Atlanta made a big acquisition, and St. Louis-based Ascension is reportedly looking to grow its ambulatory surgery network.

We compiled noteworthy provider news from June. Here’s the rundown.

Leaders from the Cherokee Nation announced on June 10 a $255.5 million plan to build a new hospital in Claremore, Oklahoma. The new facility would replace 46-bed Claremore Indian Hospital, a hospital built in 1978.

Emory Healthcare and Houston Healthcare. 

On June 1, Houston Healthcare based in Warner Robins, Georgia, became part of Atlanta’s Emory Healthcare. Houston Healthcare has two hospitals and a total 282 beds as well as five outpatient facilities and seven physician practices, according to a press release. It has 2,500 employees, 200 physicians, and cares for 300,000+ patients each year.

OSF HealthCare, based in Peoria, Illinois, announced on June 5 plans to consolidate 210-bed Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana and 174-bed Sacred Heart Medical Center in Danville into one hospital located across two campuses.

Pender Community Hospital and Bryan Health.

 On June 9, 21-bed Pender Community Hospital in Nebraska announced its board of directors voted to sign an affiliation agreement with nonprofit system Lincoln-based Bryan Health for added training and leadership and staff support.

Santiam Hospital and Clinics and Samaritan Health Services.

 Oregon-based Santiam Hospital and Clinics and Samaritan Health Service announced May 29 they would call off a planned merger, though the reason behind the decision is unclear. The hospitals had signed a letter of intent to merge in May 2024 and a definitive agreement to affiliate in October.

 St. Louis, Missouri-based health system Ascension is looking to acquire Nashville, Tennessee-based ambulatory surgery company AmSurg in a deal worth $3.9 billion, 

 reported. AmSurg, which has 250 surgery centers nationwide, is currently owned by venture capital firms including Pacific Investment Management, King Street Capital Management, and Partners Group.

 On June 16, Cincinnati-based TriHealth announced it signed an agreement to acquire 140-bed Clinton Memorial Hospital based in Wilmington, Ohio. If finalized, it would become the sixth acute care hospital in TriHealth’s portfolio.

University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). 

Jackson, Mississippi-based UMMC announced June 9 that it finalized its acquisition of Canton-based Merit Health Madison, a 67-bed facility, on May 1. The hospital is now called UMMC Madison.

Hospital building split in half collaged with briefcase and $100 bill. 

Signed and Scrubbed: June 2025 hospital M&A

Emory Healthcare and Ascension are both reportedly making moves. 

Welcome back to Signed and Scrubbed, a monthly roundup of hospital deals and bankruptcies.

This month, big health systems like New York-based Northwell Health announced mergers and acquisitions, while smaller health systems elsewhere, like in Delaware and Connecticut, initiated consolidation. One planned merger even came to an end.

We compiled noteworthy provider news from May. Here’s the rundown.

On May 1, 62-bed Atlantic General Hospital, based in Berlin, Maryland, signed a definitive agreement to merge with Salisbury, Maryland-based TidalHealth. The hospitals have begun an integration process and expect no immediate staffing changes.

Wilmington, Delaware-based ChristianaCare (1,430 beds) acquired five facilities that were originally part of Crozer Health for $50.3 million on May 28. An outpatient provider in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Crozer Health was most recently owned by Los Angeles-based private equity group Prospect Medical Holdings, which announced bankruptcy and plans to close the facilities down in April.

On May 1, New York-based Northwell Health merged with Nuvance Health. Nuvance is a health system based in Danbury, Connecticut, and has 104,000+ employees across its 28 hospitals and 1,400 beds. Northwell committed to invest $1 billion into Nuvance hospitals as part of the deal.

Oregon Health and Science University/Legacy Health. 

Portland-based Oregon Health and Science University (576 beds) and Legacy Health (554 beds) announced on May 5 plans to terminate a merger. “The organizations have determined that the best way to meet the needs of the communities they serve is to move forward as individual organizations,” a press release read. The combined health system would have included 12 hospitals and 32,000 employees, Becker’s reported when the sale was first announced. The health systems had announced plans to merge in August 2023 and signed a definitive agreement in May 2024.

Prospect Medical Holdings reached an agreement with the state of Connecticut to end all services except for emergency and behavioral health care at Rockville General Hospital (28 beds) in Vernon, Connecticut, and consolidate the rest of care into Manchester Memorial Hospital. The state’s public health department still needs to approve the consolidation.

UnityPoint Health, based in West Des Moines, Iowa, signed a letter of intent to acquire the 238-bed MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center in Sioux City on May 29. The acquisition would include all of MercyOne’s facilities, including its hospital, physician practices, and home care services.

Signed and Scrubbed: May 2025 hospital M&A, bankruptcy list

Northwell Health and Nuvance Health merged (after much anticipation) this month.

You either die worth $6 billion or live long enough to get auctioned off for $256 million. 

On May 19, biotechnology company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced that, pending regulatory approvals, it would buy “substantially all” of consumer genetic testing company 23andMe for $256 million.

23andMe peaked at a $6 billion valuation in 2021 but 

Regeneron said it’s buying 23andMe’s personal genome service along with its total health and research services business lines and its biobank and “associated assets” to grow its “genetics-guided research and drug development,” according to a May 19 press release.

23andMe’s biobank, which contains about 15 million people’s genetic data, is arguably the biggest get. 23andMe’s website says about 80% of its users gave consent for their data to be used for research.

This will add to the Regeneron Genetics Center’s existing bank of nearly 3 million people’s deidentified genetic data. The center uses that data to discover new medicines and guide research.

Due to the 23andMe dataset’s size—and, presumably, diversity—this acquisition has the potential to accelerate personalized medicine and the integration of genomic data into clinical decision-making, Scott Schell, chief medical officer at information technology company Cognizant, told Healthcare Brew.

“I think we’ll look backward at this as a sentinel event, because there’s a huge amount of data here, and it’s not unitary in its disease focus,” Schell said.

Regeneron’s purchase follows 23andMe’s 

 to use its data to develop original therapeutics as well as a yearslong agreement starting in 2018 with British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (now GSK) that gave GSK temporary access to the company’s database for drug research and development.

The efforts produced one cancer immunotherapy drug from GSK and two other cancer immunotherapy drugs from 23andMe that all entered clinical trials before the company ended its development of new treatments and wound down the trials in November 2024, 

Regeneron’s transaction is expected to close in Q3 this year, and the company said in the release it plans to continue 23andMe’s operation as a personal genomics service without pause.

The problem is that, if anything, the bankruptcy seems to have put people more on edge about the company.

After 23andMe, which was headquartered in California, put its assets up for auction, users 

 their data, concerned over who might end up buying it and how it could be used. California’s attorney general even put out a 

“I think all of us—and I don’t think that’s an overly broad statement—who have spent time looking at genetic and molecular diagnostics looked at this 23andMe financial collapse and unwinding with really great concern,” Schell said.

He’s optimistic, though, that Regeneron’s purchase will quell consumer panic.

“I think the concept of bringing this inside of a pharma company really raises that level of trust,” Schell said. “People may opt out, but I don’t think people would be in as large of a panic to rush out knowing that a pharmaceutical company with this infrastructure and regulation is now responsible.”

Sign outside of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2013 in East Greenbush, N.Y.

M&A