John Wellik, CFO for the locally based United Surgical Partners,tells GlobeSt.com that the Ascension contract is "an extension of arelationship started with St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville" thatbegan three years ago and now opens the door for inroads in theMidwest and eastern US. Ascension Health is the nation's largestCatholic healthcare system and the nation's largest nonprofithealth network with assets exceeding $11 billion. Wellik saysUnited Surgical is gaining about 50 new markets with the Ascensionalliance, which consists of 67 acute-care hospitals and dozes ofrelated facilities in 20 states in the Midwest, East and Districtof Columbia.

According to Wellik, the JV partners have yet to decide on thenumber of ambulatory surgical facilities that they will build. The50-50% alliance is United Surgical's 21st with a JV partner.

In sync with Ascension signing, United Surgical broke groundwith JV partner, Baylor Health Care System, on a 45,000-sf medicaloffice plaza at 7150 N. George Bush Tollway in Garland. Thefacility, set to deliver in March 2005, will contain an imagingcenter, ambulatory surgery center and specialty physician offices.Trammell Crow Co.'s healthcare group, led by principal RobertMcFarlane, oversees Baylor's development of healthcare projects inNorth Texas.