Keralty, an international health enterprise, has acquired Westchester General Hospital in Miami, Florida, and will take over operations immediately. The acquisition will complement the 59 U.S. Sanitas Medical Centers Keralty designed as part of its strategy to develop a healthcare model and efficient ecosystem, enabling a better end-to-end patient experience journey.
The purchase includes the 78,000 square foot hospital and an additional 248,000 square feet of parking and additional undeveloped land. Keralty will also retain Westchester's current staff of 570 employees. Juan Carlos Echandia will take over as the hospital's new Chairman. Previously, Echandia was the South America Region President for Keralty.
"On behalf of the nearly 20,000 Keralty employees worldwide, we welcome Westchester to our family of companies," said Sergio Martinez, Keralty Global CEO. "This addition provides a new opportunity to expand our presence in the U.S. and to advance our journey to establish a better model of care and support for our patients and health plan partners."
Keralty entered the U.S. market in 2015 through three Sanitas Medical Centers in Miami, featuring advanced primary care, urgent care, specialty care, laboratory and diagnostic imaging. Sanitas currently operates 59 medical centers serving more than 250,000 patients in Florida, Texas, New Jersey and Connecticut, with eight centers opening in Tennessee in December and early 2021. Keralty also moved its global headquarters to Miami in 2019.
The hospital will continue providing emergency services, intensive care, respiratory and physical therapy, cardiology, radiology, laboratory, pharmacy and psychological care, as it transforms into a state-of-the-art destination for the local community. Keralty has plans to re-engineer the hospital and expand behavioral health, advanced palliative care, and complex care for individuals with multi-chronic conditions. This change will encompass the physical environment of the hospital, the patient experience, and the human side—from doctors and teams supporting care delivery to administrative functions working in a multi-disciplinary and collaborative way.
"Our vision is to reimagine the services provided by the hospital and to coordinate with Sanitas Medical Centers, other healthcare providers, community organizations, and insurance companies, to establish a patient-centered health program supporting the local community and designed to keep patients healthy, rather than treating someone who is sick," Echandia said.
"Our model integrates healthcare services with social and community support as a means to improve quality, lower costs, and ensure high levels of patient and healthcare provider satisfaction," Emilio Herrera, Keralty Global Health President added. "With our partners and the local communities, we're building a healthcare system that is connected, aware and adaptive to patient needs. Our goal is to leverage our decades of learning from markets around the world to help address the challenges presented in the U.S."
Greenberg Traurig served as legal advisor to Keralty and McDermott Will & Emery served as legal advisor to Westchester General Hospital. Cassel Salpeter & Co., LLC served as the exclusive investment banker to the Seller facilitating the sale of Westchester General Hospital.
About Keralty
Keralty is an international health enterprise leader in patient-centered care and health outcomes, and in operation for over 50 years, in seven countries, serving over 5 million people. In addition to participating in most healthcare delivery sectors, Keralty provides health insurance, medical education and charitable programs through its Foundation. For more information, visit keralty.com.
About Westchester General Hospital
Westchester General Hospital has served the greater South Florida community since 1967, providing quality healthcare in a family-owned, patient-focused, acute care setting. Westchester General Hospital is located at 2500 S.W. 75th Ave., Miami, Florida 33155. For more information, visit westchesterhospital.com.
