One Bankrupt Hospital, Eleven Freestanding Emergency Departments And Three Texas Hospitals: HCA’s Spending Spree

Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, one of the country’s largest operators of ASCs, is on a spending spree – inking three deals in the last week.

Most recently, HCA Houston Healthcare purchased 11 freestanding emergency departments from SignatureCare Emergency Center. The deal brings HCA Houston’s freestanding ED portfolio to 26.

HCA Healthcare’s Medical City Healthcare in Dallas acquired Decatur, Texas-based Wise Health System, a formerly locally owned, nonprofit system, and its three inpatient hospitals.

Additionally, HCA will acquire Trinity Regional Hospital Sachse in Texas in a $41 million deal which is expected to close at the end of January. The 32-bed hospital, which opened two years ago, filed for bankruptcy in August after defaulting on around $70 million of municipal bonds.

In 2023, HCA has been focusing on outpatient care, ramping up its urgent care acquisitions. The health system operates about 2,300 ambulatory care facilities, including more than 150 ASCs, and continues to double down on developing outpatient facilities and increasing outpatient procedure migration.

In the third quarter of 2023, HCA reported a 37.4% jump in outpatient revenue, while its operating income was down 4.1% from the previous year.

 

Source: Becker’s ASC Review