After a brief post-pandemic lull, hospital consolidation is accelerating again, with large health systems expanding across state lines, absorbing independent hospitals and reshaping regional care markets.
From portfolio resets and strategic exits to cross-market mergers and billion-dollar investments, these moves reflect how scale, capital access and geographic reach are becoming critical advantages in today’s healthcare landscape.
Here are 39 large health systems that have announced or plan to close strategic mergers, acquisitions or partnerships this year.
Editor’s note: This is not an exhaustive list.
1. Risant Health, a nonprofit formed by Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Oklahoma City-based Integris Health, which operates 10 acute care hospitals and 10 specialty hospitals. The transaction would make Integris the third health system to join Risant Health, alongside Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger and Greensboro, N.C.-based Cone Health.
2. Chicago-based Rush University System for Health plans to merge with Evanston, Ill.-based Endeavor Health. The combined 12-hospital system would operate under the Rush brand. It would include more than 400 care sites, 46,000 employees and serve 2 million patients in northern Illinois and northwest Indiana. The merger is expected to close in early 2027.
3. Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health signed a definitive agreement to acquire Flemington, N.J.-based Hunterdon Health. Hunterdon Health includes its flagship hospital, Hunterdon Medical Center, and a network of more than 30 medical practices across central New Jersey. Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 18 hospitals, more than 500 care sites and 40,000 employees.
4. Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Parkview Health has acquired Goshen (Ind.) Health and Lebanon, Ind.-based Witham Health Services, increasing the number of hospitals in its footprint to 16. The health system also plans to acquire Ovation Healthcare, a shared services company headquartered in Brentwood, Tenn., that works with more than 500 healthcare organizations across 48 states.
5. Pittsburgh-based UPMC acquired Steubenville, Ohio-based Trinity Health System, a four-hospital system, from Chicago-based CommonSpirit. Effective Oct. 1, the acquisition sees UPMC enter the Ohio hospital market and grow its hospital footprint to 46.
6. Orlando (Fla.) Health has acquired Anniston, Ala.-based RMC Health System, continuing its push into Alabama. RMC is a nonprofit system that includes a 375-bed medical center, 200 physicians and nearly 2,000 employees. RMC joins Orlando Health’s Alabama Region alongside Baptist Health.
7. Duluth, Minn.-based Essentia Health and Bloomington, Minn.-based HealthPartners plan to combine to form a 22-hospital nonprofit health system with more than 135 clinics and 6,000 clinicians. HealthPartners President and CEO Andrea Walsh will lead the combined organization. Essentia Health CEO David Herman, MD, will serve as president of combined clinical care group operations. The transaction is expected to take effect Jan. 1, pending regulatory approvals.
8. Morgantown, W.Va.-based WVU Health System on Oct. 1 acquired Independence Health System, a five-hospital organization headquartered in Greensburg, Pa. The acquisition significantly boosts WVU Health’s presence in Pennsylvania and increases the number of hospitals in its footprint to 30.
9. Portland-based MaineHealth acquired York Hospital, a 79-bed independent facility, effective Oct. 1. The deal increased the number of hospitals in MaineHealth’s footprint to 10.
10. Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital assumed operations of DeSoto Memorial Hospital, a 49-bed rural facility in Arcadia, Fla., effective Oct. 1.. Tampa General committed to investing at least $45 million in the rural facility. The 49-year lease is $10 per year and includes a purchase option.
11. Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica plans to take over Henry County Hospital in Napoleon, Ohio, under a new affiliation agreement expected to be finalized by the end of October. The deal will be structured through a management services agreement. Henry County Hospital will retain local governance while gaining access to ProMedica’s clinical resources, regional network and operational support.
12. Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health on Sept. 1 finalized its partnership with Robbinsdale, Minn.-based North Memorial Health, creating a 60-hospital nonprofit health system with plans to invest more than $600 million across Minnesota. North Memorial is now part of Sanford Health and will serve as the anchor of a new Twin Cities care delivery region. North Memorial CEO Trevor Sawallish will lead the region alongside his leadership team and a local board of directors.
13. Charleston, W.Va.-based Vandalia Health on Sept. 1 acquired Grafton (W.Va.) City Hospital, which Mon Health System — a member of Vandalia Health — has provided management services to since 2019. The acquisition increases Vandalia Health’s hospital footprint to 17.
14. The University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, Kan., has signed a definitive agreement to acquire full ownership of St. Francis Campus and its affiliated care sites in Topeka from Brentwood, Tenn.-based Ardent Health. The deal follows a joint venture of nearly 10 years between the two health systems. Ardent has managed St. Francis’ operations and clinical functions since the partnership began in 2017. Under the new structure, those responsibilities will move to The University of Kansas Health System.
15. Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health plans to acquire Fauquier Health, a 97-bed hospital in Warrenton, Va., from Brentwood, Tenn.-based Lifepoint Health. The transaction is expected to close this fall, pending regulatory approvals. Bon Secours Mercy Health currently operates 47 hospitals across five states: Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland and South Carolina.
16. AdventHealth, a 57-hospital system headquartered in Altamonte Springs, Fla., is pursuing a joint venture with Salt Lake City-based Intermountain to combine eight hospitals, dozens of physician practices and a network of emergency and urgent care centers across the greater Denver area. The joint venture would include AdventHealth’s five Denver-area hospitals and Intermountain’s three Colorado hospitals, along with related physician practices and clinics. AdventHealth would lead and manage daily operations under the proposed transaction, which is expected to close in early 2027, pending a definitive agreement and regulatory approvals.
17. Intermountain in September acquired Brentwood, Tenn.-based Surgery Partners’ stakes in Idaho Falls Community Hospital and Mountain View Hospital. Intermountain already held an undisclosed ownership stake in both facilities. The transaction valued the hospitals at about $1.15 billion and provides Surgery Partners with roughly $795 million in total consideration.
18. Kettering (Ohio) Health, a 14-hospital system, plans to acquire Knox Community Hospital, a 99-bed hospital in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The two organizations have entered exclusive negotiations, with a definitive agreement targeted for early fall and closing expected by the end of 2026, pending regulatory approval.
19. Rochester (N.Y.) Regional Health, a nine-hospital system, plans to affiliate with Ogdensburg, N.Y.-based North Star Health Alliance, which filed for bankruptcy in February. North Star’s boards selected Rochester Regional after evaluating potential partners in collaboration with the New York State Department of Health. The systems plan to jointly apply for a multiyear state safety-net transformation grant to support North Star’s long-term recovery. With state support, they will also continue discussions toward a more formal affiliation, subject to regulatory and court approvals.
20. Greenville, S.C.-based Prisma Health plans to acquire Erlanger Health, a seven-hospital system headquartered in Chattanooga, Tenn. Under the proposal, Prisma — a 20-hospital system — would establish its East Tennessee regional headquarters in Chattanooga, which Jim Coleman, president and CEO of Erlanger, would lead as regional CEO. The proposed partnership includes $2 billion in capital investments to expand access to care and accelerate innovation and growth across Chattanooga. The two systems are working toward a definitive agreement.
21. Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Health Network acquired Heritage Valley Beaver and Heritage Valley Sewickley, effective July 1. They became the 15th and 16th hospitals in the health system’s network. As part of the affiliation, Allegheny Health Network — a subsidiary of Highmark Health— became the sole corporate member of Heritage Valley Health System.
22. Chapel Hill, N.C.-based UNC Health, a 16-hospital system, plans to take over Onslow Memorial Hospital, a 162-bed facility in Jacksonville, N.C., under a strategic affiliation agreement approved June 15 by the Onslow County Board of Commissioners. Effective July 1, UNC Health will gain a 30% membership interest in the hospital and an expanded operational role. A second phase will increase UNC Health’s membership interest to 49%. A third and final phase, set for 2029, would make UNC Health the sole member of Onslow Memorial.
23. St. Louis-based Ascension on June 4 completed its $3.9 billion acquisition of AmSurg, expanding its ambulatory surgery center footprint to 300 ASCs nationwide. The transaction marks a significant step forward for the faith-based system, which sold or consolidated multiple hospitals over the last three years as it revamped its hospital portfolio, operating model and financial performance. Ascension also plans to acquire Franklin, Tenn.-based Williamson Health for about $700 million, as well as Family Hospital at Lake Travis and two urgent care facilities in Steiner Ranch, Texas.
24. Brentwood, Tenn.-based Lifepoint Health on June 2 acquired eight community hospitals in six states from Louisville, Ky.-based ScionHealth. The hospitals include:
- Bolivar Medical Center in Cleveland, Miss.
- Ennis (Texas) Regional Medical Center
- Livingston (Tenn.) Regional Hospital
- Logan (W.Va.) Regional Medical Center
- Palestine (Texas) Regional Medical Center
- Parkview Regional Hospital in Mexia, Texas
- St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, Idaho
- Watertown (Wis.) Regional Medical Center
25. Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare on June 1 acquired 17 urgent care clinics from Urgent Care Group in North and South Carolina. In February, the for-profit health system also acquired 13 CommunityMed urgent care centers to serve under CareNow Urgent Care. In another transaction, St. David’s HealthCare also acquired six freestanding emergency departments in Austin, Texas. On Sept. 15, HCA also completed its acquisition of The College of Health Care Professions, which serves more than 8,000 students at 10 campuses across Texas and online programs.
26. Little Rock, Ark.-based Baptist Health in June acquired South Arkansas Regional Hospital in El Dorado, expanding its footprint to 13 hospitals. In April, the health system signed a definitive agreement to acquire Magnolia (Ark.) Regional Medical Center. That transaction is expected to close July 12.
27. Memphis, Tenn.-based Baptist Memorial Health Care will assume operations of Merit Health Rankin, a 134-bed hospital in Brandon, Miss., later this year, adding a 26th hospital to the nonprofit system. Merit Health Rankin is currently operated by Brandon HMA, an affiliate of Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems. The deal follows Baptist Memorial’s March acquisition of Paragould, Ark.-based Arkansas Methodist Medical Center. Baptist Memorial currently operates 25 hospitals across Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas.
28. Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health in June acquired Community Hospital of Stokes, a 53-bed critical access hospital in Danbury, N.C. The transaction increases the number of hospitals in Novant’s footprint to 20.
29. Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health and Raleigh, N.C.-based WakeMed Health & Hospitals plan to combine into a single health system. The proposed transaction would bring WakeMed under Atrium Health, part of Charlotte-based Advocate Health. The deal is subject to regulatory review, which is expected to take several months.
30. Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare in May acquired Franciscan Health Olympia Fields (Ill.), making it the system’s ninth hospital in Illinois. In February, the health system acquired Lewiston-based Central Maine Healthcare, a three-hospital system. Prime now operates 55 hospitals across 15 states.
31. Irving, Texas-based Christus Health, which comprises more than 60 hospitals, acquired Titus Regional Medical Center, effective May 1. The board of the 173-bed hospital voted in February to proceed with the sale of the independent hospital to Christus.
32. Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health plans to acquire Minneapolis-based Allina Health, creating a combined nonprofit organization spanning California, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The proposed transaction would create a $26 billion system that would include 39 hospitals, more than 400 care sites and 88,000 employees. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2026, pending regulatory approval.
33. La Crosse, Wis.-based Emplify Health is exploring a potential affiliation with Viroqua, Wis.-based Vernon Health. Emplify was formed when La Crosse-based Gundersen Health System and Green Bay, Wis.-based Bellin Health merged in 2022. It has 11 hospitals, more than 100 clinics and 15,000 employees, including over 1,400 clinicians. Vernon is a nonprofit, independent system with a hospital, four clinics and three retail pharmacies.
34. Universal Health Services, a for-profit system headquartered in King of Prussia, Pa., plans to acquire online behavioral health provider Talkspace in an $835 million deal. Talkspace, which has a network of about 6,000 licensed behavioral health professionals, reported $229 million in revenue and provided more than 1.6 million patient sessions in 2025. UHS includes 29 acute-care hospitals, 346 behavioral health inpatient facilities, 35 freestanding emergency departments, a health plan (Prominence Health) and more than 130 outpatient facilities.
35. Billings (Mont.) Clinic plans to affiliate with Sheridan (Wyo.) Memorial Hospital, an 88-bed acute care facility, after the Sheridan County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approving an agreement in March. Billings Clinic merged with Kalispell, Mont.-based Logan Health; the combined independent system now encompasses 25 hospitals, including 16 regional partnerships with critical access hospitals and clinics.
36. Corvallis, Ore.-based Samaritan Health Services plans to merge with Tacoma, Wash.-based MultiCare Health System, creating an 18-hospital system with more than 33,000 employees. The transaction, which is expected to close in mid-2026, would bring Samaritan under the MultiCare umbrella.
37. West Orange, N.J.-based RWJBarnabas Health in January signed a definitive agreement to acquire Englewood Health. Under the agreement, RWJBarnabas Health would invest about $500 million in Englewood Health to support expanded outpatient services and community health programs, as well as other strategic investments.
38. The Establishment and Project Review Committee of the New York State Public Health and Health Planning Council voted unanimously Aug. 27 for Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Maimonides Health to join NYC Health + Hospitals. Under the proposed deal, Maimonides would receive up to $2.2 billion over five years through a state grant announced in October. The transaction would see NYC Health + Hospitals become a 14-hospital system.
39. Ochsner Health, a 46-hospital system headquartered in New Orleans, plans to affiliate with Bossier, La.-based Allegiance Health System. The health systems aim to expand access to primary, specialty and high-acuity services across rural Louisiana. The arrangement is not a merger or acquisition. Both organizations will remain operationally and financially independent.
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