Signed and Scrubbed: March 2026 hospital M&A

Welcome back to Signed and Scrubbed, a monthly roundup of hospital deals, developments, and bankruptcies.

In big acquisitions this month, Universal Health Services, a for-profit hospital system in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, announced it would acquire virtual mental health company Talkspace for approximately $835 million. The Tobin Center for Economic Policy at Yale University also released a new hospital markets data visualization tool that tracks hospital ownership and market concentration from 2000 to present.

Here’s your March 2026 roundup.

Baptist Memorial Health Care. The 129-bed Paragould-based Arkansas Methodist Medical Center merged with Memphis, Tennessee-based Baptist Memorial Health Care on March 4, creating a 25-hospital system.

CharterCARE Health of Rhode Island. Two Rhode Island hospitals—Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital—became part of the new CharterCARE Health of Rhode Island health system, Becker’s reported on March 6. The hospitals have been saved by the Atlanta-based nonprofit Centurion Foundation after nearly four years of negotiations and financing. Together, the hospitals have 500+ beds.

Community Health Systems (CHS). Franklin, Tennessee-based Community Health Systems announced a definitive agreement to sell off four Arkansas hospitals to Missouri-based Freeman Health System on March 5 for $112 million. The deal affects 128-bed Northwest Medical Center–Bentonville, 222-bed Northwest Medical Center–Springdale, 64-bed Northwest Medical Center–Willow Creek Women’s Hospital, and 73-bed Siloam Springs Regional Hospital. CHS has been on a selling spree, releasing ownership of 40+ hospitals since 2020, Becker’s reported in February.

Florida State University. On March 26, Florida State University trustees and the Florida Board of Governors approved a deal to transfer ownership of 772-bed Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare from the city to the school, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.

NorthBay Health. Fairfield, California-based NorthBay Health signed a letter of intent on March 5 to acquire the 208- bed Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa County. The deal would make NorthBay a three-hospital system, and is a signal of Providence selling off its assets to work toward financial rebound.

Sutter Health. On March 17, Sacramento, California-based Sutter Health and Minneapolis-based Allina Health signed a letter of intent to merge the health systems. If finalized, the deal would make Sutter a 39-hospital system.