Major Minnesota Healthcare Merger

Minnesota-based healthcare systems HealthPartners and Essentia Health announced today that their boards of directors have approved an affiliation agreement to combine their organizations.

The combined organization will be called HealthPartners and would employ 45,000 people. It would include 22 hospitals and 135 clinics spanning the Twin Cities, northern Minnesota, and parts of North Dakota and Wisconsin.

Essentia facilities will retain the Essentia Health name while operations are integrated. Pending regulatory approvals, the organizations anticipate the combination will be effective Jan. 1, 2027.

Current HealthPartners presidents and CEO Andrea Walsh will lead the new organization. Herman, who has been CEO of Essentia Health since 2015, will serve as president of combined clinical care group operations.

Also today, the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office announced it is inviting public comments on the proposed merger and that it will consider all public feedback as part of its review.