KC’s St. Luke’s and St. Louis-based BJC Healthcare to form joint health system

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Kansas City’s St. Luke’s Health System and St. Louis’s BJC Healthcare announced today they are forming an integrated, Missouri-based health system which would be capable of expanding health care to more than six million Missouri residents.

The announcement comes as Missouri is engulfed in a maternity care crisis, a shortage in health care professionals and a lack of health care access in rural areas of the state.

The organizations, which have made approximately $10 billion in revenue, said they hope to become the “premier Midwest destination” for patient care, research and education, according to a press release. Together, they run the top three hospitals in the state and 28 total hospitals.

“Both Saint Luke’s and BJC have well-established reputations for delivering exceptional care and elevating the health of the people we serve,” said Saint Luke’s Health System President and Chief Executive Officer Melinda L. Estes, MD. “Our integrated health system, with complementary expertise and team of world-class physicians and caregivers, will set a new national standard for medical education and research. Through our decade-long relationship as a member of the BJC Collaborative, we’ve established mutual trust and respect, so the opportunity to come together as a single integrated system that can accelerate innovation to better serve patients is a logical next step. Together, we will advance our shared mission to continue improving the health of our patients.”

Their partnership could potentially expand patient access to treatments, expand medical research and expect to contribute more than a billion dollars toward communities to “annual community benefit,” the press release said.

The two health care organizations are expected to reach a definitive agreement “in the coming months.”