Officials from Southwest Washington said in the report that the two systems are planning on asking state officials to skip the lengthy review process through a letter of non-reviewability, while they iron out the details of the affiliation. Typical mergers involve submitting a certificate of need for expansions and ownership changes to ensure that the transaction will meet, but not exceed, the need for healthcare services in an area.
No changes are expected to be made to Southwest Washington’s 442-bed hospital system or PeaceHealth’s 1,100-bed system, according to the report. Both systems said that an affiliation will reduce expenses, with savings passed along to patients.
Read the Columbian’s report on the Southwest Washington/PeaceHealth merger.
