ST. LOUIS – St. Louis-based BJC Healthcare and Kansas City-based Saint Luke’s Health System will soon officially merge to form an integrated Missouri-based health system.
The two healthcare entities announced a “definitive agreement” on Tuesday to formalize merger plans. A key transaction is expected to close at the start of the 2024 calendar year, and the integrated health system could become a reality soon after.
According to a news release, BJC and Saint Luke’s will form a patient-centric integrated healthcare system to offer advanced, emerging, and innovative models of care. The hope is to improve access, affordability, and the quality of care offered to patients.
BJC and Saint Luke’s share around $10 billion in revenue with 28 hospitals that serve hundreds of clients.
“This is an exciting day for the future of health care in the Midwest,” said BJC President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Liekweg. “Our thorough due diligence review, in partnership with Saint Luke’s, has affirmed the vital opportunities we have to improve health care across the communities we serve. As an integrated health system, we will be unwavering in our commitment to provide extraordinary care to our communities, while creating the region’s premier destination to practice world-class medicine, discover clinical breakthroughs and deliver innovative models of care.”
“We are pleased to reach this important milestone in our journey to unite Saint Luke’s and BJC as we build on our shared mission to better serve our patients, teams and communities,” said Saint Luke’s Health System Chief Executive Officer Melinda L. Estes, MD. “Together, we have the opportunity to improve the health of our communities for decades to come and to establish a new national standard for medical education and research. With complementary expertise and clinical care capabilities across our separate markets, delivered by nationally renowned health care professionals, our integrated system will serve patients across the continuum of care.”
BJC and Saint Luke’s first signed a “letter of intent” to combine last May.
According to a news release, a new integrated health system is meant to help increase capacity in medical advancement, recruit top talent from within the region and expedite medical innovation.
