Samaritan Health Services and MultiCare Health System have cleared all the regulatory bars necessary to complete their merger, which will cross the finish line on Nov. 1.
The nonprofits' affiliation would create an 18-hospital system with more than $7.5 billion in revenue—and give MultiCare an acute-care foothold in Oregon. Announced in 2025, it also includes a $700 million, 10-year commitment from MultiCare to invest in Samaritan's facilities, workforce and care access points.
On Monday, the pair said that all public agencies that were reviewing their deal "have either approved the transaction or announced their intent to do so." Some of these, such as the approval from the Oregon Health Authority (see below), would bring additional conditions on areas such as the reinvestment of operating margins into local care.
“We look forward to investing in the future of healthcare across Samaritan’s service area and advancing our vision to be the Pacific Northwest’s highest-value system of health,” Bill Robertson, CEO of MultiCare, said in a statement. “Together, we can build on the strengths of both organizations and invest in the future of healthcare for the people who depend on us.”
A phased integration process will begin on Nov. 1, with the organizations reassuring patients and health plan members that the process wouldn't interrupt services or coverage. Samaritan is also slated to retain its name, local leadership and community-based governance, they reaffirmed.
Aug. 25
Samaritan Health Services, MultiCare Health System merger secures Oregon regulator approval
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) approved a deal on Monday that would merge the nonprofits MultiCare Health System and Samaritan Health Services.
State regulators said the OHA's Health Care Market Oversight (HCMO) program reviewed how the proposed merger would affect Samaritan's facilities and its impact on Oregon citizens' access to affordable and equitable healthcare.
HCMO approved the deal provided it meets established conditions (PDF), including requiring MultiCare to follow its financial commitment of investing $700 million towards Samaritan and posting a public-facing version of the commitment on Samaritan's website. Other conditions involve reinvestment of Samaritan's operating margins into local communities and a requirement to maintain existing services.
The proposal to form a $7.5 billion, 18-hospital system still has to face review from other state programs prior to moving forward.
OHA's Coordinated Care Organization (CCO) Form A review is analyzing the deal's potential impact on InterCommunity Health Network's financial stability and ability to serve state Medicaid recipients. Moreover, the state Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS) is reviewing the financial and overall impact of changing control of Samaritan commercial health plans.
Samaritan President and CEO Marty Cahill said in a statement that the approval is "an important step forward for the communities we serve."
"Our affiliation with MultiCare will provide additional resources to invest in our workforce, facilities, technology and services—and help make it easier for people to receive high-quality care close to home," Cahill said.
The nonprofits will continue to operate as independent organizations until the transaction closes, and executives say they are working toward an Oct. 1 closing.
Oct. 22, 2025
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% operating margin) in 2024, a nearly $70 million improvement over the prior year.
Samaritan Health Services operates more than 80 physician clinics and multiple health insurance plans, serving 110,000 people, as well as its five community hospitals. In 2024, the nonprofit reported more than $1.7 billion of revenue but a $93.6 million operating loss (-0.5% operating loss).