Orlando Health on Tuesday completed the purchase of 70% ownership interest in five Tenet Healthcare hospitals and affiliated operations in Alabama.
Orlando Health has taken over day-to-day operations of the Brookwood Baptist Health system after paying a reported $910 million for the majority stake in the Birmingham-area facilities.
The system, which will be known as Baptist Health beginning next year, remains a faith-based organization.
Thibaut van Marcke, senior vice president of Orlando Health’s Southeast Region, leads the Florida nonprofit’s efforts in Alabama.
“This is a great day for Brookwood Baptist Health and Orlando Health,” he said in a news release announcing the deal's completion. “Our partnership offers a new day in health care for central Alabamians. With our proven track record of successful expansion lifting the care at our partner hospitals, we are dedicated to making this health care system the best in the state and beyond.”
The hospitals are Brookwood Baptist Medical Center, Citizens Baptist Medical Center, Princeton Baptist Medical Center, Shelby Baptist Medical Center and Walker Baptist Medical Center. Related facilities and operations are included in the deal.
The properties include more than 1,700 beds, more than 70 primary and specialty care clinics, about 1,500 affiliated physicians and more than 7,300 employees.
A Tenet subsidiary, Conifer Health Solutions, will provide revenue cycle management services to the hospitals as part of a 10-year agreement.
In August, Orlando Health signed a definitive agreement to buy the majority ownership in Brookwood Baptist Health, which formed in 2015 following a merger between Tenet and Baptist Health System.
“We’re excited to have Orlando Health as a partner,” Amy Allen, president and CEO of Baptist Health, said in the news release. “Their dedication to excellence and improving patient care has been repeatedly recognized with national honors from leading quality and patient-safety organizations. This is a great day for our patients, our physicians, our team and our community.”
Orlando Health has been busy expanding its footprint.
The Alabama deal comes shortly after a bankruptcy judge approved Orlando Health’s bid to purchase of three hospitals on Florida’s east coast from Steward Health Care, which filed for Chapter 11 protection in May.
Orlando Health said it expects to finalize the acquisition of Melbourne Regional Medical Center, Rockledge Regional Medical Center, Sebastian River Medical Center and their affiliated medical practices later this year.
Also, the system purchased Bayfront Hospital in St. Petersburg in 2020, and continues its foray into the Tampa Bay area with new hospitals slated to open in Lakeland and Wesley Chapel. It also entered a partnership with Florida Medical Clinic, a physician group in the region.
In 2022, Orlando Health and three other major medical groups announced a partnership to build Bayfront Health Medical Pavilion-Institute Square, a “technologically advanced facility” on the St. Petersburg property. It is slated for completion in 2025. The partners are Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute, All Florida Orthopaedic Associates and Women’s Care.
Orlando Health, which carries more than $10.5 billion in assets, includes 17 hospitals (four more in development) and more than 3,500 beds.
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