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 18 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. Orlando (Fla.) Health plans to acquire 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. The transaction is expected to close this fall, with RMC joining Orlando Health’s Alabama Region alongside Baptist Health.
2. Brentwood, Tenn.-based Lifepoint Health plans to acquire eight hospitals in 6 states — Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Idaho, Wisconsin and West Virginia — from Louisville, Ky.-based ScionHealth. Lifepoint currently includes 60 community hospital campuses and more than 70 rehabilitation and behavioral health hospitals.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Billings (Mont.) Clinic plans to affiliate with Sheridan (Wyo.) Memorial Hospital, an 88-bed acute care facility, with the 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.
7. Little Rock, Ark.-based Baptist Health signed a definitive agreement to acquire South Arkansas Regional Hospital, a 151-bed facility in El Dorado. The acquisition would see Baptist Health increase the number of hospitals in its footprint to 13.
8. Memphis, Tenn.-based Baptist Memorial Health Care acquired OCH Regional Medical Center in Starkville, Miss., in March. The transaction increases the number of hospitals in the system’s portfolio to 25. Baptist Memorial Health Care operates hospitals in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi.
9. Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare acquired Lewiston-based Central Maine Healthcare, a three-hospital system, in February. Prime, now a 54-hospital system, also plans to acquire Franciscan Health Olympia Fields (Ill.), making it the system’s ninth hospital in Illinois. In March 2025, Prime acquired eight hospitals from St. Louis-based Ascension. A ninth hospital, Ascension St. Elizabeth in Chicago, was included in that acquisition; however, the facility closed in February 2025.
10. St. Louis-based Ascension has sold or consolidated multiple hospitals over the last three years as it revamps its hospital portfolio, operating model and financial performance. However, the faith-based system is preparing to acquire ambulatory surgery center company AmSurg for about $3.9 billion. The deal would significantly expand Ascension’s footprint in the ASC space. AmSurg has a network of more than 250 surgery centers across 34 states and supports nearly 2,000 physicians, according to its website.
11. Morgantown, W.Va.-based WVU Health System plans to acquire Greensburg, Pa.-based Independence Health System, which operates five hospitals. The transaction, which is projected to close this fall, would see WVU Health expand significantly in Pennsylvania and increase the number of hospitals in its footprint to 30.
12. 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.
13. Pittsburgh-based UPMC is in talks to acquire Steubenville, Ohio-based Trinity Health System, a three-hospital system owned and operated by Chicago-based CommonSpirit. The acquisition would see UPMC enter the Ohio hospital market.
14. Columbus-based OhioHealth plans to acquire Lancaster, Ohio-based Fairfield Medical Center, which would be its 17th acute-care hospital. Last year. OhioHealth acquired Morrow County Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital in Mount Gilead, Ohio. It also recently acquired two other hospitals — Van Wert (Ohio) Hospital and Southeastern Medical Center in Cambridge — and opened Pickerington Methodist Hospital.
15. Irving, Texas-based Christus Health, which comprises more than 60 hospitals, plans to acquire Titus Regional Medical Center. The board of the 173-bed hospital voted in February to proceed with the sale of the independent hospital to Christus.
16. Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Parkview Health, a 15-hospital system, has signed a letter of intent with Goshen (Ind.) Health to explore a partnership. The transaction would make Goshen Health Parkview’s largest hospital outside of Fort Wayne and establish it as a regional hub for care, access and growth.
17. 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.
18. NYC Health + Hospitals, New York City’s public health system, plans to acquire Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Maimonides Health. Under the proposed deal, Maimonides would receive up to $2.2 billion over five years through a state grant announced in October. Maimonides and NYC Health + Hospitals are continuing to work with stakeholders toward a final deal, which would see NYC Health + Hospitals become a 14-hospital system.
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