Tennessee hospital system seals deal to add Arkansas hospital

After nearly a year of work, Baptist Memorial Health Care in Tennessee has completed the acquisition of Arkansas Methodist Medical Center, bringing another facility into the growing system.

Baptist Memorial, based in Memphis, Tennessee, announced this week that it has finalized the deal to add the 129-bed hospital to its footprint. Based in Paragould, Arkansas Methodist Medical Center becomes the 25th hospital in Baptist Memorial’s expanding portfolio. Baptist Memorial now operates three hospitals in Arkansas.

In addition to adding the medical center, Baptist Memorial also has acquired eight medical clinics and a 91-bed assisted living facility. Baptist Memorial and Arkansas Methodist first disclosed their intentions to merge last April.

Jason Little, president and CEO of Baptist Memorial Health Care, said in a statement that completing the merger “opens a new chapter for sustained access to comprehensive health care in East Arkansas and the South.”

“Achieving this milestone allows us to expand Baptist’s mission, vision and commitment to delivering exceptional and affordable health care to this community on a scale that is meaningful for patients,” Little said.

The hospital also has new leadership. Melanie Edens, who previously served as chief operating officer of NEA Baptist, has been named the CEO of Arkansas Methodist Medical Center. She took the post March 1, succeeding Brad Bloemer, who announced his plans to retire last month.

Edens holds personal connections to Arkansas Methodist. The system said she was born in the medical center and she worked there as a student radiologic technologist in 1996.

“I can’t think of a better person than Melanie Edens to lead Arkansas Methodist Medical Center as it transitions to a Baptist Memorial Hospital. She is a dynamic leader with vast knowledge and experience with health care in this region, and she has a special connection to this community,” Little said in a statement.

Fitch Ratings gave Baptist Memorial a stable outlook in an August 2025 report, citing the system’s “multi-state market presence and growing market share.”

“Financial performance has rebounded and operating margins are expected to remain positive over the coming years, driven by volume growth, efficiency initiatives, and successful integration of recent acquisitions, which help offset expected reductions in supplemental funding,” Fitch said.

Baptist Health does have to contend with “below-average economic and demographic characteristics,” Fitch said. But Fitch also said the system’s “continued expansion into key growth regions and its investment in academic programs provide for an expectation of longer-term stability.”

Baptist Memorial has expanded in recent years and continues to move beyond its home base in Tennessee. The system reported $4.9 billion in revenue in the 2025 fiscal year.

Baptist Memorial completed its acquisition of Anderson Regional Health System in 2024. Anderson, based in Meridian, Mississippi, serves the surrounding region, including some of western Alabama.

In 2017, Baptist Memorial also acquired the Mississippi Baptist Health System, based in Jackson, Mississippi.

• Read more: More hospital mergers expected in 2026, but uncertainty persists