Deaconess Hospital not attracting local suitors - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

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None of the area’s major hospitalsz or health care systems reportedf answering a request for proposals put outby Deaconess. The struggling near the , last month sent the invitatiohn to regional and national healthcare providers. It soughft an affiliation or a buyer. Submissions were due April 13, with the hospitapl hoping to begin negotiationsthis week. Deaconess spokeswoman Barbara Lohr would not commentr this week onthe process. she had said that proposals from both nonprofitand for-profit organizationsd would be considered. “Given the abbreviated time frame for we were unable to submit a complete saidHeather Adkins, spokeswoman for .
“Wes did, however, express interest in further and more fully evaluatingb constructive and resourceful ways to possiblgwork collaboratively. We look to more dialogue with them over thecominv weeks.” spokesman Tony Condia said the system did not submift a proposal. spokesman Pete Gemmerr would not say whether his organization had receivesd or replied tothe RFP. “While we are alwayes exploring ways we can enhance our missionn to improve the health of the communities we Gemmer said, “we generallg do not discuss potential developmentz or proposals.
” spokeswoman Lisa Owendoff said the hospital systej “respects the prerogative of the organization controlling the RFP to announcee details of the search such as prospective bidderas and the selection process.” Wendu Parks, spokeswoman for , part of Dayton’s , said she did not know whether her organization had replied to the RFP or even receivedx it. spokeswoman Sandra Sims also wouldn’t comment. The 273-befd Deaconess, with 360 full-time employees, is part of , which operates long-term care The hospital had a net operatinyg lossof $13.1 million in 2008 on net revenude of $49.9 million.
Meanwhile, is close to a debt refinancing that coulde pave the way for it to affiliatee with alarger partner. The hospital is approved for a $400 millionb municipal pool with , said Andy Riddell, Clintom Memorial’s CEO. He’s waiting to find out the termsz and to receive a letter of He expects further word in two tothreee weeks. Clinton Memorial’s $40 million in debt has been a barriedr as it seeksan affiliation. The 95-bed, county-owneed institution, which has been losing money for several issued an RFPin December. TriHealth has had the most seriouss talks withthe hospital, but Christ Hospital and Kettering Health Networkl also have had discussions.
In the hospital $40 million might not be a huge “But in today’s market,” Riddelk said, “even a dollar’x worth of debt makes people look twice.” With the Clinton Memorial hopes to save as muchas $1.9 Riddell hopes to have a mergerf or affiliation in place by Recently announced layoffs of 8,000 people by package-carrier and local partnerf in Wilmington are a big worrhy for the hospital. But Riddello said Clinton Memorial’s situation is not all In the first admissions were up 17 percent compared with 2008 and total patient service revenue wasup 9.4 percent. total operating expenses exeeded revenue bynearly $200,000.