Steward Health Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in Texas (Correct)

Steward Health Care System LLC filed for bankruptcy early Monday as it’s finalizing a rescue loan with landlord Medical Properties Trust Inc.

The Dallas-based firm sought Chapter 11 protection in the Southern District Court of Texas and listed assets and liabilities of $1 billion to $10 billion. The bankruptcy petition allows Steward Health to keep operating while it seeks approval for a restructuring plan.

Steward operates more than 30 hospitals across eight states and employs some 30,000 people, according to its bankruptcy website. It’s the biggest private tax-paying hospital chain in the country and has been struggling with its liquidity in recent months.

As part of the restructuring deal, Medical Properties — a US real estate trust focused on health care facilities — is set to provide initial debtor-in-possession funding of $75 million debt and an additional loan of as much as $225 million if certain conditions are met, it said in a statement. In January, Medical Properties provided Steward Health with a $60 million bridge loan and deferred some of its rent arrears.

Medical Properties fell 18% in premarket trading to $4 as of 6:30 a.m. New York time.

Steward Health’s Chief Executive Officer Ralph de la Torrecited higher costs and “insufficient reimbursement by government payors” among the factors leading to the Chapter 11 filing. The delay in the sale of its physician business unit Stewardship Health forced it to look for an alternative source of funding.

In the bankruptcy process “Steward will be better positioned to responsibly transition ownership of its Massachusetts-based hospitals, keep all of its hospitals open to treat patients, and ensure the continued care and service of our patients and our communities,” de la Torre said.

The case is Steward Health Care Holdings LLC, 24-90212, US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District Court of Texas.

(Corrects company’s base of operations in second paragraph and number of hospitals in third paragraph and deck headline.)

--With assistance from Bre Bradham.

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Janine Phakdeetham in Bangkok at jphakdeetham@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Michael Sin at msin12@bloomberg.net

Luca Casiraghi, Jeremy Hill

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