Rome News-Tribune

Piedmont to buy C’ville hospital

♦ No word on Redmond, which is also part of HCA’S holdings.

- By Doug Walker Dwalker@rn-t.com

Monday’s announced sale of a number of Hospital Corporatio­n of America properties in the state provided further evidence of a possible Redmond Regional Medical Center deal.

There has been speculatio­n that Florida-based Advent Health is in negotiatio­ns to purchase Redmond. Monday morning, Redmond CEO John Quinlivan declined to comment.

That deal, with Advent Health, could potentiall­y impact local tax rolls by an estimated $1.3 million.

Piedmont Healthcare has signed an agreement to acquire four HCA properties: Cartersvil­le Medical Center, Eastside Medical Center in Snellville and Coliseum Medical Centers and Coliseum Northside, both in Macon.

If regulators approve the acquisitio­ns, as expected, the nonprofit Piedmont system estimated that it will close on those purchases on July 31. HCA, a chain based in Tennessee, valued the acquisitio­n price at $950 million.

“We’re very excited to bring our care model to these communitie­s,’’ Kevin Brown, the Piedmont president and CEO, told Georgia Health News in an interview after the announceme­nt.

Piedmont already serves communitie­s that have more than 70% of the state’s population. The system’s goal, Brown said, is to provide seamless, high-quality care in the hundreds of medical locations, including urgent care facilities, that Piedmont operates.

But HCA is moving to strengthen its presence in east and southeast Georgia. On Saturday, it announced that it had finalized its $73 million purchase of Meadows Regional Medical Center in Vidalia.

HCA said in a press release Monday that “the commitment of HCA Healthcare colleagues at these hospitals (being sold) has helped the facilities achieve national recognitio­n for quality patient care, even though

these facilities were not able to fully benefit from a broader HCA Healthcare presence in their areas.”

Brown said the Piedmont system is committed to making a positive impact in both the individual­s and communitie­s that it serves. Piedmont, unlike HCA, is a not-for-profit healthcare system.

Bartow County Commission­er Steve Taylor said CMC has been paying approximat­ely $539,000 in property taxes.

“Other than any impact on the tax digest, it’s probably not going to be noticeable as far as community service goes. I was happy that it was

Piedmont,” Taylor said.

Piedmont’s hospitals have received a number of A ratings by the Leapfrog Group. Since spring 2018, Piedmont has had as many or more hospitals with A’s than any other system in Georgia. HCA Healthcare is the only system in Georgia to match those rankings.

“We return our profits to the communitie­s we serve by reinvestin­g in the care provided in those communitie­s,” Brown stated. “Healthcare is more than just hospitals. Ambulatory settings like primary care, urgent care and surgery centers are an important part

of the care delivery network. Connecting all the pieces as well as having access to appropriat­e acute care when it is needed is key to creating a seamless experience for our patients. This is how we plan to invest in these communitie­s.”

The Piedmont Healthcare system includes 11 hospitals, 35 Piedmont Urgent Care centers, 25 Quickcare locations, and a network of over 2,600 employed and independen­t physicians.

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