Ascension Health and Providence St. Joseph Health are in talks about a merger between the two Catholic non-profits that would create the largest U.S. hospital chain, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the discussions.
A deal between St. Louis-based Ascension and Renton, Washington-based Providence would give the combined entity 191 hospitals in 27 states and annual revenue of $44.8 billion, the Journal reported. That would surpass the current largest U.S. hospital operator, HCA Healthcare Inc (HCA.N), a for-profit company.