The boards of nonprofits MultiCare Health System and Samaritan Health Services have approved an affiliation they expect to consummate in mid-2026.
The arrangement would bring Samaritan, which runs five community hospitals as well as health plans and clinics in Oregon's Benton, Lincoln and Linn counties, under the 13-hospital MultiCare -- a new geographic foothold for the Tacoma, Washington-based organization.
"MultiCare and Samaritan are closely aligned in our mission, vision and values, making us ideal partners as we strengthen our networks across our service regions," MultiCare CEO Bill Robertson said in the announcement. "It will be our privilege to be a part of the communities Samaritan serves and we look forward to working together to support and advance health care in Oregon."
The systems said there are no immediate changes for Samaritans' patients, plan members or employees as the two sides move through the affiliation process.
Once the deal is finalized, Samaritan will remain "locally governed and community based" but receive new resources from MultiCare that will expand services, update its operations and ensure sustainable care in its Oregon communities, according to the announcement.
More specifically, the deal includes a 10-year investment commitment focused on modernizing Samaritan's facilities, expanding the flagship Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center's inpatient capacity, adopting new technologies including telehealth capabilities and growing primary and specialty care. MultiCare's behavioral health will also expand into Samaritan's service area along the mid-Willamette Valley and central coast.
These changes will together increase care quality and access while helping to lower the cost of care, the organizations said.
"This affiliation represents an important step in securing the future of nonprofit health care in our region," Marty Cahill, president and CEO of Samaritan said in the announcement. "Our commitment has always been to remain a community-based, mission-driven organization, and this partnership strengthens that promise for decades to come. ... We are excited and honored to become MultiCare's first health system in Oregon and to bring the benefits of MultiCare's expertise home to the communities we serve."
The parties said they will sign a formal affiliation agreement "in the coming weeks."
MultiCare Health system employs more than 28,000 people across its 13 hospitals. It has 300-plus care locations in Washington, Idaho and Oregon, though no hospitals in the latter. The system reported $5.9 billion of total operating revenue but a $116.5 million operating loss (-2.0% operating margin) in 2024, a nearly $70 million improvement over the prior year.
Samaritan Health Services runs over 80 physician clinics and multiple health insurance plans serving 110,000 people as well as its five community hospitals. In 2024 the nonprofit reported over $1.7 billion of revenue but a $93.6 million operating loss (-0.5% operating loss).