HealthPartners and Essentia Health today announced that their boards of directors have approved an affiliation agreement to combine their organizations. Together, the two Minnesota-based nonprofit health systems will expand access to high-quality care and coverage, strengthen specialty services, leverage technology to better serve patients and support clinicians, and help make health care more affordable.

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“This combination is about doing more for the people and communities who count on us,” said HealthPartners President and CEO Andrea Walsh. “HealthPartners and Essentia Health share a belief that everyone deserves access to high-quality care and coverage, close to home and centered on their needs. Together, we can build on the strengths of both organizations to improve health, expand access and create a stronger future for the communities we serve.”

“Our organizations share similar missions and values, deep roots in this region, and a focus on improving health and well-being,” said Essentia Health CEO David Herman, MD. “As a combined nonprofit health system, we will be able to better innovate and grow our workforce. That strong foundation will make us even better partners for our patients, working together to help people live their healthiest lives, wherever they call home.”

The organizations have complementary strengths in care delivery, health plan coverage, urban and rural community health, research, medical education and innovation. Combining the strengths of each organization, the nonprofit health system will:

  • Expand access to high-quality care across urban and rural communities. The combined organization will include 22 hospitals, more than 135 clinics and 6,000 clinicians, creating one of the region’s largest nonprofit health systems and extending access to high-quality care across Minnesota and the upper Midwest.

  • Build on a proven record of quality and outcomes. Both organizations have been consistently recognized as top performing health systems for quality by Minnesota Community Measurement and have earned national recognition for excellence in quality, patient experience, innovation and clinical performance.

  • Make care and coverage easier to navigate and more affordable. HealthPartners combines care delivery and health plan expertise in a nationally recognized integrated model that consistently delivers lower total costs of care compared with national benchmarks.

  • Strengthen local care while expanding specialty expertise. Patients will benefit from a greater depth of expertise and expanded access to specialists, advanced clinical programs, telehealth and coordinated care through strong local care teams and community relationships built over decades of partnership.

  • Accelerate innovation, research and workforce development. Together, the organizations will expand investments in digital health, research, data analytics and workforce development. Essentia’s research and education programs provide more than 500,000 hours of training each year for future health care professionals. HealthPartners trains more than 600 residents and fellows annually and brings research to patients and community members through hundreds of clinical trials and research studies.

  • Support a highly engaged team of 45,000 colleagues. Colleagues will have access to expanded career pathways, educational opportunities, academic partnerships and shared expertise across a larger integrated organization. HealthPartners is one of Minnesota’s top ranked employers, including being recognized as a Top Workplace by the Star Tribune, Newsweek and other organizations. Essentia has been recognized as a top 100 in-state workplace by Forbes for eight consecutive years.

The combined organization will be called HealthPartners. Current HealthPartners President and CEO Andrea Walsh will lead the new organization. David Herman, MD, who has been CEO of Essentia Health since 2015, will serve as president of combined clinical care group operations. Essentia facilities will retain the Essentia Health name while operations are integrated.

Pending customary regulatory approvals, the organizations anticipate the combination will be effective Jan. 1, 2027. Patients and members should not experience any changes or interruption to their care or coverage.

For more information, visit healthpartners-essentiahealth.com.

About Essentia Health

Essentia Health’s mission is to make a healthy difference in people’s lives. An integrated nonprofit health system, Essentia relentlessly pursues that mission at our 14 hospitals, 80 clinics, 30 retail pharmacies, six long-term care facilities, three assisted living facilities, two independent living facilities, seven ambulance services and one research institute. Essentia has more than 16,000 employees, including about 2,500 physicians and advanced practitioners who provide expert, compassionate care. We’re privileged to serve patients in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. For more information, visit essentiahealth.org.

About HealthPartners

HealthPartners is a nonprofit organization with a mission of improving health and well-being in partnership with its members, patients and community. An integrated system of care and coverage since its founding in 1957, HealthPartners operates hospitals and clinics, health plans, and a research and education institute. The Minneapolis-based organization serves more than 1.4 million patients in Minnesota and Wisconsin and 1.6 million medical and dental health plan members nationwide. For more information, visit healthpartners.com.

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