Capella Health

Farmington, MO. – BJC HealthCare of St. Louis, MO, and Capella Healthcare of Franklin, TN, jointly announced today that BJC has signed a definitive agreement for Mineral Area Regional Medical Center (MARMC) ownership to transition to BJC from Capella. The transaction is scheduled to be completed in approximately 60 days.

Upon closing of the transaction, MARMC will operate as part of Parkland Health Center, BJC’s 100-bed hospital with 154 affiliated physicians located in Farmington. BJC HealthCare is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health care organizations, with annual net revenues of $4 billion and more than 26,000 employees in the greater St. Louis, southern Illinois and mid-Missouri regions. BJC HealthCare serves patients and their families in urban, suburban and rural communities through its 12 hospitals and multiple community health locations.

Mineral Area Regional Medical Center is licensed for 127 beds with more than 100 affiliated physicians. It is one of 14 acute care and specialty hospital facilities in seven states affiliated with Capella Healthcare based in Franklin, TN.

“While this was a very difficult decision for Capella, we are confident it is best possible solution for the challenges ahead and will benefit patients throughout the Farmington region,” said Mark Medley, SVP, President of Hospital Operations for Capella Healthcare. “These past few years have been very difficult for smaller rural hospitals. Health care reform, continued reductions to reimbursement, and continued increases in uncompensated care – due at least in part to the lack of Medicaid expansion in Missouri – as well as increasing competition from health systems outside of the local community have come together to create a particularly challenging environment for hospitals like MARMC.”

To succeed in the future, Medley said, every hospital must continue to improve quality while lowering costs and expanding patient access. Under reform, close collaboration and increased scale are essential since every hospital is being challenged to do more with less.

“This is why having MARMC affiliate with BJC makes the most sense for the future. With this agreement, MARMC joins a well-respected, high-quality local system with a long-standing reputation for excellence. We feel it will help ensure the stability of high quality patient care in Farmington for years to come.”

Parkland Health Center president Tom Karl said: “The integration of Mineral Area Regional Medical Center will help us build additional relationships with physicians and improve the quality and efficiency of health care in the community. This is an important component of our focus on providing exceptional patient care locally.

“As has always been the case, we will continue to monitor operations and services over the long term to ensure they meet the needs of our community,” Karl continued. “We will be collaborating with our colleagues at Mineral Area Regional Medical Center over the next few months to develop our plans for the combined organization.”

According to MARMC CEO Lynn Mergen, the two hospitals have had a strong working relationship for many years. “Our two organizations have looked for ways to work more closely together for the past few years. We are excited to be able to take this next step. This move will strengthen care in our region by making collaboration easier and creating a more seamless network,” he said.

“We are very proud of Mineral Area Regional Medical Center’s accomplishments during the seven years they’ve been part of our Capella family,” said Medley. “They’ve been recognized nationally for quality care, achieving ‘A’ grades in 2012, 2013 and 2014 on The Leapfrog Group’s Hospital Safety Score. They earned a national ‘Excellence through Insight’ award in ‘Overall Physician Satisfaction’ from HealthStream Research in 2011. We are working very closely with BJC to ensure a smooth transition.”

About BJC HealthCare

BJC HealthCare is one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States, and is focused on delivering services to residents primarily in the greater St. Louis, southern Illinois and mid-Missouri regions. With more than 26,000 employees, BJC serves the health care needs of urban, suburban and rural communities and includes 12 hospitals and multiple community health locations. Services include inpatient and outpatient care, primary care, community health and wellness, workplace health, home health, community mental health, rehabilitation, long-term care and hospice.

About Parkland Health Center

In addition to a full-service hospital in Farmington, Missouri Parkland Health Center includes a three-bed critical access hospital in Bonne Terre, Missouri. With more than 154 affiliated physicians, Parkland provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services to the residents of St. Francois County and surrounding areas of southeastern Missouri.

About Mineral Area Regional Medical Center

Located in Farmington, MO, Mineral Area Regional Medical Center is a 135-bed, general acute care hospital, accredited by AOA, the American Osteopathic Association.   With more than 100 physicians on the medical staff, MARMC offers a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, including 24-hour Emergency Services, Intensive Care, Medical/Surgical care, and OB/GYN. For more information, visit the hospital’s website at www.MineralAreaRegional.com

About Capella Healthcare

Capella Healthcare partners with communities to build strong local healthcare systems that are known for quality patient care. Based in Franklin, Tenn., Capella owns and/or operates 14 acute care and specialty hospital facilities in seven states.  With the philosophy that all health care is local, Capella collaborates with each hospital’s medical staff, board and community leadership to take care to the next level.  The company has access to significant leadership and financial resources, investing in its family of hospitals to strengthen and expand services and facilities. For more information, visit www.CapellaHealthcare.com

 

 

 

###