Hackensack Meridian acquires another hospital and is now N.J.’s largest chain
Taken from NJ.com, 1/3/2018
Hackensack Meridian Health Wednesday announced it now owns JFK Medical Center in Edison, a deal that creates the largest hospital chain in New Jersey.
In what has become a race to amass the most sprawling health care network in the state, Hackensack Meridian now owns 12 acute care hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties. It employs a staff of 33,000 and 6,500 doctors, and maintains 4,520 in-patient beds, which include children’s and specialty hospitals.
The deal dethrones RWJ Barnabas Health, owner of 11 full-service hospitals valued at $5.4 billion, as the largest hospital and health care provider in the state. Robert Wood Johnson University Health and Barnabas Health merged in 2016.
Hackensack Meridian and JFK executives emphatically said the winners in this turf war are their patients. More people will benefit from JFK’s nationally recognized neurological care and rehabilitation services. JFK’s patient base will have a larger network of outpatient, home care, and other patient care options to choose from — 160 locations in all.
“In a rapidly changing health care environment, this merger strengthens and aligns our services to maximize options for everyone, from newborns to our geriatric population,” JFK President and CEO Raymond Fredericks said.