The Bundeskartellamt has cleared the merger projects by the hospital branch of the German Order of Saint John (Johanniterorden) to acquire three Protestant hospitals in Hamm, Lippstadt and Gronau (Westphalia) (= Valeo Kliniken) on the one hand and a Catholic hospital in Hamm (St. Marien-Hospital) on the other. The two merger projects had been notified at the same time. Besides these acute hospitals, the target business in both cases also comprises the medical care centres (Medizinische Versorgungszentren - MVZ) for outpatient care operated by the hospitals.

Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt: “The Bundeskartellamt had already been very familiar with the competition situation in both inpatient and outpatient care in Hamm and Lippstadt because of former investigations. This allowed us to accelerate the investigations and thus conclude them
within a month. In Hamm, Lippstadt and Gronau (Westphalia) the participation of the Johanniter Group helps to secure the respective hospital locations and to keep these hospitals as competitors. We do not expect to see a considerable impediment to effective competition or disadvantages for patients.”

The Johanniter group is probably best known for its accident assistance and also operates nine hospitals, nine specialised and rehabilitation clinics, seven MVZs, 94 senior citizen centres, three hospices and three nursing schools in Germany. The Bundeskartellamt’s investigations have shown that none of these organisations is a direct competitor of those acquired in Hamm, Lippstadt and Gronau.

However, the Johanniter group is merging two formerly competing clinics in Hamm under the Johanniter umbrella through their acquisition, namely the Protestant Evangelisches Krankenhaus Hamm and the Catholic St. Marien-Hospital in Hamm. As a consequence the number of hospital operators in Hamm decreases from three to two (one Catholic and one Protestant operator). However, the two hospitals in Hamm now acquired by the Johanniter group have been closely cooperating in the form of the health care network “Gesundheitsverbund Hamm” and have coordinated their service spectrum over time. Moreover, at least one strong competitor of the two future Johanniter hospitals remains in the Hamm area, namely the Catholic St. Barbara-Klinik (operated by the Saint Francis foundation based in Münster). There are further alternatives in the greater Hamm area for patients to choose from. The competition
situation in Lippstadt will not change as a result of the merger as there continues to be a Protestant and a Catholic hospital operator.

Background information:

Besides the Johanniter group, the Johanniter foundation, Johanniter Unfall-Hilfe e.V., the Johanniter Hilfsgemeinschaften and the Johanniter-Schwesternschaft e.V. are also part of the German branch of the Order of Saint John. They form the Protestant branch of the original Order of Saint John. The remaining Catholic branch of the Order of Saint John has changed its name to Order of Malta (Malteserorden).