By Ayla Ellison 

The total number of healthcare mergers and acquisitions hit a record high in 2018, and several deals have closed so far this year.

Here are 17 mergers and acquisitions involving hospitals and health systems that closed since Jan. 1:

1. Quorum divests Texas hospital

Brentwood, Tenn.-based Quorum Health sold Scenic Mountain Medical Center, a 146-bed hospital in Big Spring, Texas, to Dallas-based Steward Health Care.

2. Merger creates $2.4B health system with hospitals in New York, Connecticut

LaGrangeville, N.Y.-based Health Quest and Danbury-based Western Connecticut Health Network combined to form a new nonprofit health system called Nuvance Health.

3. Advocate Aurora Health acquires Wisconsin hospital

Advocate Aurora Health assumed full ownership of Bay Area Medical Center in Marinette, Wis.

4. Mississippi hospital secures 3rd owner in 2 years

Charlotte, N.C.-based Vizion Health acquired Panola Medical Center, a 112-bed hospital in Batesville, Miss.

5. Ascension buys Florida hospital, plans $47M investment

Nashville, Tenn.-based Ardent Health Services completed the sale of its interest in Bay Medical Sacred Heart in Panama City, Fla., to St. Louis-based Ascension on March 14.

6. Rennova acquires Tennessee hospital

West Palm Beach, Fla.-based Rennova Health acquired Jellico (Tenn.) Community Hospital and CarePlus Center in Williamsburg, Ky.

7. CHS sells 4 South Carolina hospitals for $176M

Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems completed the sale of four South Carolina hospitals to Medical University of South Carolina Hospital Authority in Charleston on March 1.

8. Beth Israel Deaconess-Lahey Health merger is official

Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Lahey Health in Burlington, Mass., merged March 1 to become Beth Israel Lahey Health, a system with 13 hospitals and 4,300 physicians across Massachusetts.

9. Bankrupt California hospital chain closes $235M sale

El Segundo, Calif.-based Verity Health, which entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August, completed the sale of two California hospitals on March 1.

10. Dignity Health, CHI merge into $29B system

Englewood, Colo.-based Catholic Health Initiatives and San Francisco-based Dignity Health completed a deal to combine their systems.

11. CHS sells New Jersey hospital

A nonprofit run by Bloomfield, N.J.-based Community Healthcare Associates acquired Salem, N.J.-based Memorial Hospital of Salem County from Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems

12. HCA completes $1.5B acquisition of Mission Health

Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare acquired Mission Health, a six-hospital system based in Asheville, N.C.

13. Tenet sells 3 hospitals, exits Chicago market

Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare sold its three remaining Chicago-area hospitals to Los Angeles-based Pipeline Health.

14. Somerset Hospital to officially join UPMC

Somerset (Pa.) Hospital officially joined UPMC Somerset on Feb. 1.

15. Cleveland Clinic adds 4 hospitals

Indian River Medical Center in Vero Beach, Fla., and Martin Health System, a three-hospital system based in Stuart, Fla., joined Cleveland Clinic health system.

16. Hackensack Meridian Health, Carrier Clinic merge to improve behavioral health

Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health merged with Belle Mead, N.J.-based behavioral health provider Carrier Clinic.

17. Sanford Health grows to $5B+ system after finalizing merger

Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health completed its merger with a nationwide senior care services provider.