Dive Brief:
- HCA Healthcare has purchased the largest urgent care chain in Florida, MD Now Urgent Care, the health system said Tuesday. The deal closed at the end of 2021 for an undisclosed sum.
- The deal gives HCA 59 urgent care centers in a state where it already has a significant presence, with 47 hospitals.
- HCA, one of the nation's largest hospital operators, has continued to focus on investing in areas that expand its offerings in core markets.
Dive Insight:
HCA continues to double down on the Florida market. Over the last three years, the chain has invested about $3 billion on new hospitals and facility renovations in the Sunshine State.
In November, HCA said it planned to construct three new hospitals in Florida: a 90-bed facility in Gainesville, a 60-bed hospital near the Villages and a 100-bed site in Fort Myers.
HCA leaders have said the investment is in response to rapid population growth in the state, and that these capital projects will help meet the growing demand for care. HCA says it currently serves 6.4 million patients each year at more than 400 sites across the state.
About half of the health system's annual revenue comes from Florida and Texas, according to its latest annual Securities and Exchange Commission filing. About half of HCA's hospitals are spread between those two states.
For HCA, the deal adds significantly to its current portfolio of more than 170 urgent care centers. Over the last few years, HCA's strategic focus has been to build its service lines in core markets, mainly in regions with a growing population, to capture patients along a continuum of care, from a less acute urgent care visit to a hospital stay.
Last year, HCA purchased a majority stake of Brookdale Health Care Services' home health and hospice business, as the pandemic put a greater emphasis on at-home care.
That $400 million acquisition highlighted HCA's strategy to build out its range of offerings, while diversifying its portfolio.
The strategy is not unique to HCA. Over the last few years, Tenet has gobbled up ambulatory surgery centers through multiple billion-dollar deals as procedures migrate from an inpatient to outpatient setting.