This year could be UPMC’s biggest growth period yet, according to an article on the Post-Gazzette website.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's recent expansion has included a string of deals, with construction of one hospital and affiliations with eight others between 2011 and 2016 at a cost to the system of $1.5 billion.
This year's plans include affiliations with at least seven more hospitals and the construction of an eighth.
UPMC isn’t alone in its empire building, the article said. Low interest rates, availability of capital and increasing anxiety among directors at small hospitals about the future of healthcare have created a hothouse for growing hospital chains nationwide.