BSA Sold to Ardent Health Services

AMARILLO -- Baptist Community Services and Ardent Health Services have formed a joint venture which will own and operate BSA Health System, officials announced today. Ardent will own 80-percent of the joint venture, and Baptist Community Services will own 20-percent.

"We chose Ardent because of its proven track record in the industry and its commitment to growth and to improving clinical quality and the patient experience," said Steve Dalrymple, president and CEO of Baptist Community Services. "In addition, they are strategically located in markets adjacent to Amarillo, and we see some nice synergies for all these markets to work well together."

Ardent subsidiaries own and operate 11 hospitals, a health plan, two multi-specialty physician groups and 11 retail pharmacies.  Its affiliate healthcare operations serve Tulsa, Okla. and surrounding communities and Albuquerque and Roswell, N.M.

As part of the new joint venture, Ardent Health Services will, among other commitments:

• Preserve the BSA mission and its name, as well as the names of its affiliates.
• Invest $50 million dollars into two specific projects:
• • Construction of a new expanded Emergency Room, one large enough to more than handle current and future emergency volumes. 
  • Building a new, state-of-the art cancer clinical facility that will house the patient care services of the Harrington Cancer Center.
• Invest significant capital - $75 million - into BSA over the next five years for additional services, new equipment and technology and to improve the health system.
• Guarantee all employees are hired upon the completion of the sale, and that benefits and compensation will remain essentially the same.
• Endorse and support BSA's current charity care policies.
• Continue the chaplaincy program which serves the spiritual needs of BSA patients and families.
• Keep current insurance and payer contracts, so employees in the region whose insurance currently includes BSA as a preferred provider will see no change.