EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story incorrectly included Valley hospitals as among those included in the deadline changes.

Steward Health has pushed back on its deadlines for the sale and auction of hospitals in Arizona, Massachusetts, and St.
Joseph Medical Center in Texas.

According to court documents, the bid deadline for those hospitals has been delayed from July 24 to July 15 and the auctions have been pushed back from June 27 to July 18. The proposed sale hearing is July 31.

Deadlines for other hospitals, including three in the Valley remain unchanged.

A bankruptcy judge has approved a June 24 deadline to make bids on Trumbull Regional Medical Center in Warren, Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital in Howland, and Sharon Regional Medical Center in Mercer County, Pennsylvania.

In addition, the auction date is June 27 auction, with a July 2 sale hearing for the three hospitals.

This comes after a filing from the U.S. Department of Justice opposing Steward's original timetable for bids and sales. The Justice Department previously stated it was in the early stages of its review of the proposed sale and may require extensive production of documents and data before it determines whether or not it objects to the purchase.

This proposal dates back to March of 2024 when Steward Health entertained an offer to purchase its physician network, Steward Medical Group, in multiple states, including Ohio and Pennsylvania, by Optum.

If the proposed sale goes through, all doctors currently employed by Steward could soon be working for Optum, but after two months, neither party has reached a definite agreement.

RELATED COVERAGE:

U.S. Justice Department opposed to Steward's timetable for selling physicians network