Lathrop Gage Rapidly Closes Two Hospital Acquisitions in Kansas City Area
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (April 2, 2013) – Lathrop Gage served as legal counsel for Prime Healthcare Services in its acquisition of Providence Medical Center and Saint John Hospital, a transaction that closed on April 1.
Andy Ramirez, chairman of the firm’s Healthcare Department, said, “It is unprecedented to have a client engage a law firm on January 14th in a transaction this complicated and close in less than three months. Prime Healthcare Services and our legal team has worked with the Kansas Attorney General, counsel for the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and others to transfer licenses, provider numbers and assets necessary to maintain continuity of care at these two hospitals. There will be additional details to work through post-closing, but I am proud that if you walked into both facilities today you would find that care is being provided to the public. It has truly been a remarkable team effort working with Prime Healthcare Systems and its CEO Dr. Reddy. ”
Providence Medical Center, a 400-bed acute care hospital in Kansas City, Kan., and Saint John Hospital, an 80-bed acute care hospital in Leavenworth, Kan., had operated as non-profits; the sale will convert them to for-profit entities. In the sale agreement, Prime Healthcare Services was transparent in its dealings with state and community and committed to invest $10 million to maintain current charity and indigent care services at both campuses for at least five years. More information on the acquisition is available here.
Prime Healthcare Services is one of the country’s largest hospital companies, and eight of its hospitals are recognized as Top 100 hospital in the nation by Truven Health Analytics an independent quality assessment company. Only one hospital in Kansas or Missouri currently holds that distinction, Lawrence Memorial Hospital, another Lathrop Gage client. The Prime Healthcare System is recognized among the “Top 15 Health Systems in the Nation” by Thomson Reuters. It owns and operates 23 acute care hospitals in California, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Texas and now Kansas. Based in Ontario, Calif., it employs more than 20,000.
Individuals advising Prime Healthcare Services on this complex transaction – which required approval from the Kansas Attorney General – include Ramirez (Healthcare – Overland Park), Julie Roth (Healthcare – Kansas City), David Waters (Real Estate – Overland Park), Donn Herring (Healthcare – St. Louis), Brett Bogan (Corporate – Overland Park), Brandy Rea (Healthcare – Overland Park), Jeff Wagener (Corporate – St. Louis), Kellee Dunn-Walters (Real Estate – Overland Park), Amanda Yoder (Energy – Kansas City), Michael Adrian (Corporate – St. Louis), Jason Peters (Real Estate – Overland Park), Jami Shipman (Tax – Kansas City), Wally Brockhoff (Corporate – Kansas City) and Bill Ford (Environmental – Kansas City). The Lathrop Gage Healthcare practice comprises several attorneys named to The Best Lawyers in America and is ranked “Tier One” by U.S. News and World Report in the Kansas City area.
About Lathrop Gage LLP:
A full-service law firm, Lathrop Gage LLP has more than 320 attorneys in 11 offices nationwide – from Los Angeles to New York. In 2012, Chambers USA ranked Lathrop Gage’s corporate, environmental, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, real estate and transportation teams among the best in their regions. For more information, visit www.lathropgage.com.