Kentucky health system poised to acquire hospital

Med Center Health is about to get a little bigger.

Med Center Health, above, based in Bowling Green, Ky., is set to acquire Logan Memorial Hospital, a 75-bed hospital in southern Kentucky.

The Kentucky-based health system is set to acquire Logan Memorial Hospital in Russellville, Ky. Med Center Health says the acquisition is expected to be complete by July 1.

Logan Memorial Hospital, a 75-bed acute care hospital, will become the seventh hospital in the Med Center Health system in Bowling Green. When the acquisition is complete, the hospital will be known as The Medical Center at Russellville.

Connie Smith, president and CEO of Med Center Health, said in a news release that the adding the hospital to the system will offer more services for residents in the southern Kentucky community.

“This acquisition aligns perfectly with that mission as we look to further enhance healthcare services for residents of Logan County and surrounding communities,” Smith said in a statement. “We have a proven track record of improving access to care and services in our rural communities, and we could not be more excited to do the same for our friends and family in Logan County.”

The hospital serves a community of about 45,000 residents, officials said. Med Center Health will also acquire three medical office buildings on the campus and the hospital’s associated health clinics.

Kamal Singh, MD, a board member at Logan Memorial Hospital, said the hospital’s officials are looking forward to joining Med Center Health.

“We are confident that Med Center Health’s breadth and depth of care services will best serve the local community as they seek to expand services and offer the resources of the most comprehensive health system in the region,” Singh said in a statement. “We believe that Med Center Health has the tools and resources to provide exceptional patient care in the near term and well into the future.”

Med Center Health operates its flagship hospital, The Medical Center, in Bowling Green. The system is also planning to break ground on a five-story patient tower on the Bowling Green campus later this month. The tower will serve as the new location for women and pediatric services, and is slated to be opened in 2026 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Med Center Health system.

Med Center Health’s acquisition of Logan Memorial is the latest hospital deal in Kentucky.

In April, UK Healthcare, the University of Kentucky health system, announced plans to acquire the St. Claire HealthCare system in northeastern Kentucky. The deal awaits regulatory approvals, and officials say they hope to close the deal July 1.

Analysts have said more hospital mergers and acquisitions would take place in 2024, and so far, those projections have met expectations. In the first quarter of 2024, there were 20 announced hospital deals, the highest number since 2020, according to Kaufman Hall, the consulting firm.

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