Hospital M&A up 33 percent

There were 77 announced mergers and acquisitions in the hospital industry in 2010 -- 62 percent of which came in the second half of the year -- the most deals in a single year since 1982. Healthcare Finance News reports on the data from Irving Levin & Associates, which shows a 33 percent uptick in deals since 2009, representing more than $12 billion.

The numbers are skewed, however, by including Community Health Systems' proposed but rebuffed $7.3 billion Tenet Healthcare takeover offer. Next to it, Vanguard Health Systems' $1.3 billion Detroit Medical Center acquisition is the largest deal of the year, followed by Cerberus Capital Management's purchase of Caritas Christi in Massachusetts. If the second half of 2010 is any indication, the hospital sector is heading for an active 2011, Irving Levin Associates said.