Beacon Hospital

Beacon Hospital signed an affiliation agreement with Johns Hopkins Medicine International (JHMI), for JHMI to provide educational and consulting services at the Hospital, in May 2006.[1] Beacon Hospital was officially opened by then-Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney on 25 October 2006.[2] The American Triad Hospitals group took responsibility for the management of the hospital.[3]

In February 2008, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) began managing the hospital, buying a 25% share in the company for €15 million.[4] In 2009, UPMC took majority ownership of the hospital in a €68 million deal which gave it a 68% equity in the company. The Hospital was rebranded as UPMC Beacon Hospital.[5][6][7]

In April 2014, Beacon Hospital was taken over by Irish businessman Denis O'Brien, with UPMC relinquishing its ownership.[8] UPMC paid €20 million to divest itself of the hospital, relieving itself of a projected $231 million in long-term debt.[9] According to UPMC's 2015 accounts, the company lost €33 million on the disposal of Beacon Hospital and wrote off a further €38.9 million in loans.[10] O'Brien paid Ulster Bank €40 million for the Hospital's outstanding €100 million debt.[3]

Beacon's 9-storey 238,000-square-foot (22,100 m²) facility includes 183 patient beds.[11][4] The hospital provides teaching for University College Dublin.[12]

Beacon Hospital won the 2008 Irish Healthcare Innovation Award.[13] In 2013, Beacon Hospital won a Commendation at the Irish Healthcare Awards for its DocIT programme.[14] Beacon Hospital also won the 2013 Radiosurgery Excellence Award.[15]

• John Mark Redmond