Top Ten 2018: Hospital Mergers, Acquisitions, and Affiliation Transactions

When it comes to hospital consolidation, what’s past is prologue. Increasing reim­bursement pressure, changing payment methodologies, and continuing uncertainty regarding the health insurance marketplace are forcing many hospitals and health systems to consider a range of affiliation transactions, from traditional mergers and acquisitions to emerging alternative partnerships, such as the development of clinically integrated networks. By many accounts, hospital deal activity sustained the same torrid pace in 2017 that it has for the past several years, and there is reason to believe the trend will continue in 2018.

The complete article was published in the January/February 2018 issue Connections as part of AHLA’s ninth annual Top Ten piece on important ongoing and emerging health law issues to watch in 2018.