BJC Health System of St. Louis and Saint Luke’s Health System of Kansas City officially became one health system this week.
Saint Luke’s operates Allen County Regional Hospital in Iola. Patients will experience no immediate change to the way they currently receive care, access their health records, or communicate with their medical teams, according to a press release.
The two nonprofit health systems first announced plans to integrate in May 2023. The transaction officially closed on Jan. 1, 2024, when Saint Luke’s joined BJC.
Saint Luke’s will continue to operate as the Western Region, which includes hospitals and clinics in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. BJC HealthCare will operate in the Eastern Region, which includes hospitals and clinices across Missouri and southern Illinois.
BJC is one of the largest employers in Missouri with a combined workforce of 44,000, and is now home to the top three and five of the top 10 hospitals in the state, according to the most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings.
The new system now provides access to more than 3,500 clinical trials and increased opportunities for shared research, innovation, and clinical collaboration among physicians and researchers. BJC anticipates an annual impact of $1 billion for communities in the broader geographic area it now serves.
