ST. LOUIS, July 5, 2022 – SSM Health announced today that it has officially assumed ownership of SLUCare Physician Group from Saint Louis University. The agreement formally brings together the world-class academic medical expertise of SLUCare with SSM Health’s high-quality, community-based care model to create one of the most comprehensive fully integrated academic and community-based physician groups in the region, with more than 1,200 providers.

SLUCare Physician Group and SSM Health have partnered for decades to provide exceptional medical services to patients at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, St. Mary’s Hospital and most recently at Saint Louis University Hospital. SLUCare’s more than 600 faculty, other academic medical professionals and staff will now become a dedicated academic physician division within SSM Health - St. Louis and continue their work as researchers and educators. They will collaborate with SSM Health Medical Group’s more than 600 community-based providers to deliver care at more than 50 physician office locations as well as through comprehensive virtual and digital health services.

By fully integrating SLUCare Physician Group into the SSM Health care network, patients will experience improved and seamless access to all levels of care, including highly specialized procedures and clinical trials with the potential to deliver breakthrough life-saving treatments. The agreement also represents a significant investment in the Saint Louis University School of Medicine to expand clinical research, medical training and education across the region.
Background on Historic Partnership

Both SSM Health and Saint Louis University School of Medicine have a rich legacy of providing hope and healing to those in need across the St. Louis community. The relationship extends back more than a century. In 1903, SSM Health’s founding congregation, the Franciscan Sisters of Mary, welcomed SLU School of Medicine students into their hospitals for education and training. In 1928, the University and the Sisters worked together to establish SLU’s School of Nursing. Then, in 1933, they opened the hospital on South Grand Boulevard that would eventually be known as SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital.

The hospital continued to be owned and operated jointly until 1959, when the Sisters donated their share to the University. SLU sold the hospital to Tenet Healthcare Corporation in 1998. In 2015, the long history of collaboration came full circle when SSM Health acquired the hospital from Tenet and renamed it SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital. Both organizations are thrilled to be taking this next step in their shared mission as SLUCare Physician Group formally becomes part of SSM Health.

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