CHI Franciscan and Virginia Mason Finalize Agreement to Form Virginia Mason Franciscan Health

TACOMA, Wash. and SEATTLE, Jan. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the formation of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health was announced, bringing together CHI Franciscan and Virginia Mason, two of the Pacific Northwest's leading health care organizations – each with more than a century of delivering high-quality care to our communities. As part of CommonSpirit Health, the parent company of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, the new integrated health system will increase access to care throughout the region with hundreds of patient care sites across western Washington. Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, which will initially be led through a dyad CEO model, brings together the most effective elements from each entity to build a transformative health system for the communities it serves throughout the Pacific Northwest region and beyond.

"Virginia Mason Franciscan Health has an incredibly strong foundation to build upon as our two storied organizations come together with an exciting vision, particularly as we expand services for the most vulnerable in our communities," said Ketul J. Patel, CEO of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and president of the Pacific Northwest Division of CommonSpirit Health. "We are committed to building a consumer-focused health care system while expanding our presence as a national leader in the transformation of health care delivery."

With a focus on expanding patient access points and developing innovative models of care delivery that enhance quality and the patient experience, the new organization will make it easier for patients to get the personalized care they need.

"Today is a great day for our organization and our community," said Gary S. Kaplan, MD, CEO of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. "For years we have worked with CHI Franciscan, but now, together, our potential is limitless. We will be able to apply learnings across our entire system that not only improve the patient experience, but also change health care delivery for the better."

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health will operate 11 hospitals and nearly 300 sites of care, including primary and specialty care clinics, same-day surgery centers, Benaroya Research Institute, Bailey-Boushay House and Virginia Mason Institute.  The organization will employ more than 18,000 team members and staff, including nearly 5,000 employed physicians and affiliated providers.

Together, the combined organization has the highest quality outcomes in the region and the resources to invest in innovation that attracts and helps retain top talent. As a result, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health patients receive care from some of the best minds in health care.

All patients will continue to use their same site of care and will continue to use their current insurance plans. Each organization will share updates with patients well in advance of any changes taking place.

Historically, CHI Franciscan and Virginia Mason have partnered on obstetric and women's health – opening a new birth center and women's health clinic in Seattle last year – as well as a radiation oncology partnership at St. Anne Hospital and St. Francis Hospital. These partnerships have demonstrated the positive impact that is possible when the two systems work together and will serve as the model for integration across the system.

The combined health system will serve as a prototype of care innovation nationally as part of CommonSpirit Health, one of the nation's largest non-profit health systems, serving patients across 21 states.

About Virginia Mason Franciscan Health
Virginia Mason Franciscan Health brings together two leading health systems in Washington state – CHI Franciscan and Virginia Mason – into one integrated health system with more than 300 care sites in western Washington. With a team of 18,000 team members and staff, and nearly 5,000 employed physicians and affiliated providers, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health provides expert, compassionate medical care at 11 hospitals and nearly 300 sites of care throughout the Puget Sound region. The integrated health system has nearly 1,500 hospital beds and also includes Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled-nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the United States designed specifically to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS; Benaroya Research Institute, which is internationally recognized for autoimmune disease research; and Virginia Mason Institute, which trains health care professionals and others around the world in the Virginia Mason Production System, an innovative management method for improving quality and safety. Virginia Mason Franciscan Health includes hospitals throughout Washington, including Virginia Mason Hospital, Seattle; St. Anthony Hospital, Gig Harbor; St. Clare Hospital, Lakewood; St. Elizabeth Hospital, Enumclaw; St. Francis Hospital, Federal Way; St. Joseph Medical Center, Tacoma; St. Michael Medical Center, Silverdale and Bremerton; St. Anne Hospital, Burien; Rehabilitation Hospital, Tacoma; and Wellfound Behavioral Health Hospital, Tacoma.

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health is committed to caring for the most vulnerable in our communities, including the poor and underserved, providing nearly $200 million in community benefit—free, subsidized and reduced-cost health care and programs.

About CommonSpirit Health
CommonSpirit Health is a nonprofit, Catholic health system dedicated to advancing health for all people. It was created in February 2019 by Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health. With its national office in Chicago and a team of approximately 150,000 employees and 25,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians, CommonSpirit Health operates 137 hospitals and more than 1000 care sites across 21 states. In FY 2019, Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health had combined revenues of nearly $29 billion and provided $4.45 billion in charity care, community benefit, and unreimbursed government programs. Learn more at commonspirit.org.

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SOURCE Virginia Mason Franciscan Health