Harton hospital not sold; Tenet considering offers
By: May 31, 2003

By LARRY NEE
The Sunday News
Staff Writer

Contrary to current rumors, Harton Regional Medical Center has not been sold.

The Tullahoma hospital (TN) is one of 14 spread across eight states California-based owner Tenet Healthcare Corp. announced in March it was selling.

Contacted this week, Harton chief executive officer David Wilson said company information indicated that a decision on disposition of the hospital is expected either in late July or early August.

"There are about eight companies still in the mix," Wilson said, but added that he did not know "who was in and who was out."

It was Tenet's intention "to sell as many hospitals to as few buyers as possible," Wilson said.

Tentatively, Tenet hopes to narrow the bidding to two or three contenders per hospital by the end of next week. What is also unknown here is how many hospitals the various individual buyers may be interested in.

According to information received by Wilson, on-site inspection visits would be expected around the end of June, after which the potential purchasers would be asked to submit their final offer.

Once the sale decision is made, the transaction would be subject to review and approval by various governmental agencies. This process could take some time, Wilson said, meaning the actual transfer of ownership may not take place until the end of the year.