Patrick Soon-Shiong's NantWorks to take over St. Vincent and 5 other California hospitals

NantWorks, the Culver City company controlled by billionaire physician Patrick Soon-Shiong, has taken over the operator of half a dozen California hospitals, including St. Vincent Medical Center near Los Angeles' MacArthur Park and St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood. In a deal that closed June 30, NantWorks acquired a controlling stake in Integrity Healthcare, which in 2015 took over management of six hospitals from the struggling nonprofit Daughters of Charity Health System. The hospital chain now goes by the name Verity Health. The deal marks yet another expansion of Soon-Shiong's healthcare holdings -- which include companies developing cancer therapies, genetic testing and other medical technology -- and could advance his other healthcare initiatives, including using artificial intelligence to help devise personalized treatments for patients. "I've spent the last decade of my life quietly building this infrastructure," he told The Times.