CEO: Patients shouldn’t expect local changes

LifePoint Health, Inc. and RCCH HealthCare Partners recently announced they have entered into a definitive agreement to merge.

Lifepoint Health, Inc. is the parent company of Andalusia Health. RCCH is owned by certain funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC (NYSE: APO)

“Andalusia Health views the announcement of our owner, LifePoint Health, merging with fellow healthcare leader RCCH HealthCare Partners as extremely positive,” CEO John Yanes said Friday. “The two organizations are aligned and share Andalusia Health’s commitment to ensuring that our community has access to high quality care, close to home. We are proud of our contributions to Andalusia and the surrounding region and our affiliation with LifePoint. After the merger closes, we believe we will be well positioned to meaningfully extend our mission of Making Communities Healthier.”

Yanes said the transaction should have no impact on the way patients access the local hospital, physicians or other locations.

According to a press release from LifePoint Health, upon completion of the transaction, the combined company will be privately held. It will continue to operate under the LifePoint Health name and be led by William F. Carpenter III, chairman and chief executive officer of LifePoint.

LifePoint and RCCH are among the nation’s leading healthcare providers, owning and operating networks of hospitals, post-acute service providers and outpatient centers that are integral to their communities. The combination of the two companies will create a healthcare provider with pro forma 2017 revenues of more than $8 billion as well as 7,000 affiliated physicians, approximately 60,000 employees and more than 12,000 licensed beds.