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A state committee charged with selling off Prince George's County's struggling public hospital system revealed last week the names of nine companies that hope to purchase the medical centers in Bowie, Laurel and Cheverly.

Eight of the nine potential buyers are local, but the largest suitor is HealthSouth Corp. of Birmingham, Ala., a national company with locations across the United States.

Dimensions Healthcare System of Cheverly, the management company that currently runs the three medical centers on behalf of the county, is the only suitor willing to purchase all three hospitals currently subsidized by the county and state governments.

Members of the Prince George's County Hospital Authority said they plan to hammer out contracts for selling each of the centers by Aug. 1.

"Each of the entities … has been through an initial review process to determine the adequacy of its financial resources and management experience," authority Chairman Kenneth Glover wrote in a letter posted to the authority's Web site. "Members of the authority are delighted that the Prince George's County Hospital Authority has reached this point in the process."

The smaller companies will be encouraged to partner with the larger bidders, Glover said in his letter.

The other interested parties are Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis; Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park; the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.; Southern Maryland Hospital Center in Clinton; Physicians Group of Laurel; Solomon Eye Associates, which has offices in Maryland and Virginia; and Rockledge Realty Partners, a Bethesda real estate company.

Authority spokeswoman Donna Wilson said the group is optimistic that a deal will be reached.

"Everyone is very pleased we've gotten this far," she said. "It's farther than anyone has gotten before."

The fates of the Bowie Health Campus, Laurel Regional Hospital and Prince George's Medical Center in Cheverly have been in question for years. Though the hospitals serve more than 180,000 patients a year, the high number of uninsured patients has forced the system to operate at a loss for more than a decade.

Several attempts by the state and county to sell the facilities have hit snags, as lawmakers differed on control of the hospitals. The hospital authority was formed last year as an attempt to find a sale without political fighting.

If the authority can find ways to attract more affluent patients and upgrade facilities, buyers have the potential to make the centers profitable, Glover has said. Because the facilities also come with undeveloped land attached, companies potentially could invest in new office space, retail opportunities and other development at the sites.

The hospitals would be required to offer the same level of service that they currently give, Wilson said.

Glover met with members of the Prince George's County Council in executive session for 30 minutes the day before the letter was released. Wilson said the group was receptive to the progress.

In a statement issued May 22, Dimensions spokeswoman Suzanne Almalel said the company is interested in re-forming as a nonprofit to take over the hospitals, as long as it has access to money to transform the centers and own the facilities itself. Dimensions would need to partner with an academic medical institution to accomplish its goals, Almalel wrote.

Talks this summer likely will focus on the ability of each suitor to manage and finance the facilities.

"We'll get deep into the finances once negotiations begin," Wilson said.

If a deal is reached, it must be approved by the Prince George's County Council. The General Assembly also must approve the deals when it convenes in January.

The Prince George's Hospital Authority is scheduled to meet June 15 at the Cheverly center.