After a drop in hospital mergers a year ago, analysts in the healthcare industry are expecting to see more health systems pursuing deals in 2026. In 2025, there were 46 announced hospital mergers or acquisitions, and that’s the lowest number in 15 years, according to Kaufman Hall, a healthcare consulting firm. By comparsion, there were 72 mergers in 2024. There were only a handful of deals in the beginning of the year, but merger activity picked up in the second half of the year. Theoretically, it shouldn’t be hard for the number of deals to eclipse the small number of transactions in 2025. But some analysts say they are enthusiastic about the uptick in hospital mergers and acquisitions in the year ahead.
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Source: https://www.chiefhealthcareexecutive.com/view/more-hospital-mergers-expected-in-2026-but-uncertainty-persists