Kansas City, Mo ? Health Midwest of Kansas City said Wednesday it has opened exclusive negotiations with HCA Inc. to sale its health care system for an estimated $1.125 billion.

A sale to Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA, the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chain, would bring capital to Health Midwest, which owns 14 hospitals and other medical facilities in the Kansas City area, including the Overland Park Regional Medical Center.

After negotiations are completed, the sale must be approved by the Kansas and Missouri attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission. It would be the largest such sale in the nation since 1999, a health care analyst said.

Chris Whitley, a spokesman for Health Midwest, emphasized repeatedly Wednesday that negotiations were still ongoing. He said it was too early to speculate on the possible closing or consolidation of any hospitals.

If approved, the purchase would be HCA’s largest since its $5.7 billion merger with Columbia in 1994.