LifePoint Hospitals Inc. | nashvillepost.com

Hospitals push support for health reform

In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday, the Federation of American Hospitals — which represents the bulk of Nashville’s hospital industry — expressed its support for health reform bills set for a vote this weekend. The FAH is the trade association for the country’s investor-owned hospitals — the backbone of Nashville's mammoth health care industry. The organization's board of directors reads like a who's who of high-level leaders from local companies LifePoint, Community Health Systems, Ardent, Vanguard, Iasis, Capella and Psych Solutions. Charles Kahn, president of the FAH, said in his letter that health reform is “long overdue” and the two measures currently under consideration — the House version of the Senate reform bill and the reconciliation measure accompanying it — meet the Federation’s goals of expanding health coverage for the uninsured. The FAH “urges all Members of Congress to support this health reform legislation,” he wrote. The FAH apparently also sent letters to congressional leaders, outlining the FAH members, and their employee numbers, in each district. Obviously, Middle Tennessee's legislators were looking at a sizable list. A Spokesman for Rep. Jim Cooper's declined to comment, saying Cooper will review the legislation before making a decision on the bills.

Mar 19, 2010 8:17 AM

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LifePoint launches buyback

Plan has seven-week window

Mar 16, 2010 11:03 PM

Carpenter, Smith elected by FAH

The Federation of American Hospitals yesterday elected LifePoint President and CEO Bill Carpenter its chairman of the board and Community Health Systems President and CEO Wayne Smith as chair-elect. The Federation represents investor-owned or managed community hospitals and health systems across the country.

Mar 2, 2010 10:17 AM

Analyst action: LifePoint, Genesco, Tractor Supply

A trio of Morgan Stanley analysts are cautious about the hospital sector but like LifePoint's negotiating power and ability to buy hospitals and its own shares. They've reiterated their 'overweight' rating on LifePoint shares (Ticker: LPNT), which rose 2.7 percent Monday. There's a similar sentiment at Susquehanna about Genesco: Christopher Svezia, Christina Cheng and Tom Haggerty say the retailer's shares (Ticker: GCO) have been unfairly discounted and that they expect CEO Rob Dennis and his team to boost operating margins. Genesco jumped almost 7 percent yesterday. At Piper Jaffray, analyst Mitch Kaiser has upgraded Tractor Supply to 'neutral' from 'overweight' and hiked his price target to $55 from $46. The main reason: "Improved moisture conditions." Tractor Supply shares (Ticker: TSCO) added almost 5 percent Monday.

Mar 2, 2010 8:47 AM

LifePoint overhauls debt agreements

Hospital chain adds $200M in lending capacity

Mar 1, 2010 2:45 PM

Fourth time's the charm

LifePoint's Danville Regional Medical Center this week named Eric Deaton the hospital's fourth CEO since the Brentwood-based hospital company purchased the Virginia facility in 2005.

Feb 26, 2010 2:24 PM

Bid details for Ohio hospital: RegionalCare, LifePoint, Capella

The press in Ohio provides a detailed breakdown of the bids for Clinton Memorial Hospital — including proposed payment amounts, capital expenditures, physician recruiting expenses, etc. Locally, Marty Rash's RegionalCare, which got the nod for a purchase in Alabama this week, is in the running, apparently sweetening its bid with $1 million for the community. LifePoint and Capella Healthcare are also in the mix. Brentwood-based Brim Healthcare wants to provide management services to the hospital. Two Ohio providers, Kettering Medical Center of Dayton and Cincinnati-based TriHealth also submitted proposals.

Feb 25, 2010 10:32 AM

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Another player joins Ohio hospital M&A mix

Looks like local companies LifePoint Hospitals and RegionalCare Hospital Partners have another contender to account for in their bids to acquire a 150-bed hospital east of Cincinnati. A Dayton health system says it is teaming up with Health Management Associates for its proposal.

Feb 22, 2010 12:16 PM

Wells analyst cools on LifePoint

Gary Lieberman at Wells Fargo says investors shouldn't expect anything close to fireworks from LifePoint Hospitals this year because its physician recruiting will take time to produce profits. He has downgraded LifePoint shares (Ticker: LPNT) to 'market perform' from 'outperform.' SEE ALSO: Wells Fargo upgrades hospital sector

Feb 22, 2010 9:40 AM