VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Hospital operator Tenet Healthcare Corp is poised to buy United Surgical Partners International Inc in a deal that could be worth more than $2.5 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.

United Surgical Partners is controlled by private-equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, the Wall Street Journal reported, and it operates more than 200 short-stay surgical facilities.

Tenet, based in Dallas, operates 80 hospitals and more than 200 outpatient centers, making it one of the largest hospital chains in the United States.

Tenet was not immediately available for comment.