Hospital operators in merger talks to form US industry leader: WSJ

New York

ASCENSION Health and Providence St Joseph Health are in talks about a merger between the two Catholic non-profits that would create the largest US hospital chain, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the discussions. A deal between St Louis-based Ascension and Renton, Washington-based Providence would give the combined entity 191 hospitals in 27 states and annual revenue of US$44.8 billion, the Journal reported.

That would surpass the current largest US hospital operator, HCA Healthcare Inc, a for-profit company.