Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1541321
26 TRANSACTIONS 5 moves disrupting the physician market By Patsy Newitt Here are five acquisition updates disrupting the physician market: 1. Lewiston, Idaho-based St. Joseph Regional Medical Center plans to acquire physician-owned Catalyst Medical Group. e deal, expected to close in late 2025, will bring CMG's Lewiston Orthopedics and Valley Medical Center under St. Joseph's umbrella. About 150 CMG employees will transition to St. Joseph, increasing the hospital's workforce to approximately 850 team members. 2. Davenport, Iowa-based ORA Orthopedics announced it will end its partnership with MercyOne at the end of 2025. e decision follows Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health acquired MercyOne Health System in 2022 and rebranded Genesis Health System as MercyOne Genesis last year. In a Sept. 22 statement, ORA said the alignment that once existed with Genesis no longer matches its approach to orthopedic care under MercyOne. 3. Charlotte, N.C.-based Carolina NeuroSurgery & Spine Associates, one of the country's largest independent neurosurgery practices, will officially join Atrium Health on Oct. 1. Nearly 300 employees across seven Charlotte-area clinics will become part of the hospital system. e group includes more than 70 physicians and advanced practice providers, offering services ranging from nonoperative care and minimally invasive outpatient procedures to highly complex surgical interventions. Atrium Health and CNSA have worked together for decades on neurosurgery and spine care in the greater Charlotte area. 4. HonorHealth has signed an agreement to acquire Evernorth Care Group from Cigna. Evernorth Care Group operates 18 clinics in the greater Phoenix area and provides integrated primary care services to nearly 80,000 patients. e clinics will join HonorHealth upon close of the transaction, which is expected to occur in January, pending legal and regulatory approvals. 5. Gainesville-based Northwest Georgia Health System has paused its acquisition of Longstreet Clinic, also in Gainesville, due to an unspecific number of Longstreet physicians being under investigation by the Justice Department. e nature of the investigation has not been disclosed. Longstreet Clinic employs more than 200 physicians and advanced practice providers across 20 specialties in nine northeast Georgia cities. n Specialty surgery group takes over retiring physicians' office By Francesca Mathewes O verland, Kan.-based Head and Neck Surgery of Kansas City is expanding into its fourth location as it takes over the office of Parker Thornton, MD, at his office in Shawnee Mission, Kan. According to a Sept. 24 news release, Dr. Thornton retired Sept. 30 after more than 40 years in medicine. Head and Neck Surgery of Kansas City will offer a full range of otolaryngology services at the practice in addition to surgical procedures and related specialties. The transition will not result in any disruption of service. n 5 ASC closures in 2025 By Francesca Mathewes 1. Buffalo, N.Y.-based Kaleida Health System closed an ASC that has been in operation for more than 35 years. Kaleida cited multiple factors contributing to the closure, including reductions in federal funding — specifically in Medicaid reimbursement. 2. Peoria, Ill.-based Bond Eye Associates closed June, citing financial difficulties, including rising operational costs and challenges with insurance reimbursements. 3. Mobile-based Alabama Orthopaedic Clinic closed in April due to a combination of retiring physicians, challenges in recruiting for specific subspecialties, rising costs and reimbursement cuts, despite strong patient volumes. 4. Ames, Iowa-based Sturm Cosmetic Surgery closed in February for unknown reasons. e 5. Hoboken, N.J.-based Garden State Orthopedics, an orthopedic practice specializing in sports medicine, closed its office on Jan. 27 aer more than 30 years in the area. e practice's lease expired and it was unable to find a comparable location. n