HCA in negotiations to buy St. Joseph, St. Mary's hospitals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - HCA Midwest Health Systems is in negotiations to buy the St. Joseph and St. Mary's Medical Centers in the Kansas City, Mo., area.

Ascension Health, which owns the hospitals, said in a statement Tuesday that they are in talks to sell other Carondelet Health subsidiaries to HCA as well.

"The decision to enter into these negotiations was made following a period of review and discernment by both the Carondelet Health Board and Ascension Health," Robert Henkel, president and CEO of Ascension Health, said in the news release. "This action supports our focus on providing a Vital Presence in the communities we serve, meaning we serve where we are needed and how we are needed to be there."

According to the release, the three Carondelet long-term care facilities -- Carondelet Manor, Villa St. Joseph, St. Mary's Manor -- will continue to be operated by Acension Health if the sale goes through, as would the two hospital foundations.

"Being a part of a system with a large local presence would strengthen Carondelet's position in this competitive market ... amidst the myriad of changes that are occurring as part of health care reform," Fleury Yelvington, president and CEO of Carondelet Health, said in the statement.

If the sale does go through, HCA Midwest has committed to preserving the hospitals' Catholic heritage.

There are 456 total licensed beds between St. Joseph and St. Mary's hospitals. In 2011, they admitted 16,163 patients and grossed $887 million.