Merger mania shakes up Philadelphia-area health system rankings
Taken from Philadelphia Business Journal
November 29
By John George
The merger mania reshaping the Philadelphia region’s health care industry over the past few years is evident by the changes at the top of this year’s Philadelphia Business Journal ranking of the region’s largest health systems.
The annual List ranks health system by their number of licensed beds.
In the List published Nov. 29, the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which brands itself as Penn Medicine, displaced Jefferson Health in the top spot.
Penn, with 2,940 licensed beds, grabbed the top ranking based on Princeton HealthCare joining its group in 2018. When the deal — which extended the health system reach deeper into central New Jersey — was finalized, former Penn Health System CEO Ralph Mueller called the union “an exciting new chapter in Penn Medicine’s growth.”
Penn Medicine’s standing at the top of the health system’s List is expected to be short-lived.
Jefferson Health, currently ranked second with 2,885 beds after topping the list in 2018, is poised to regain first place. Jefferson is about to add the Philadelphia-based Einstein Healthcare Network, and its 736 beds, once their proposed merger is completed after a lengthy regulatory review process.