WVU Health System Completes Acquisition of Five-Hospital Independence Health System

The transaction closed on Oct. 1, 2026, following the deal's initial announcement in November 2025 and subsequent regulatory reviews.

West Virginia University Health System (WVU Health System) has completed its acquisition of western Pennsylvania-based Independence Health System, adding five hospitals to its network and expanding its annual total operating revenue to more than $10 billion.

The transaction closed on Oct. 1, 2026, following the deal's initial announcement in November 2025 and subsequent regulatory reviews. Independence Health System's hospitals and affiliated operations will immediately begin operating under the WVU Medicine brand.

As part of the transaction, WVU Health System has committed $800 million over five years toward Independence's hospitals and surrounding communities. The investment is expected to support clinical services, facility modernization and infrastructure improvements.

The acquisition expands WVU Health System's footprint to 30 hospitals. Before the transaction, the system operated 25 hospitals, employed about 35,000 people and had a network of approximately 4,600 providers.

Independence Health System was formed in 2023 through the merger of Excela Health and Butler Health System. It described itself as the third-largest health system in western Pennsylvania, serving 10 counties and approximately 750,000 residents. Its five hospitals have a combined 925 beds and the organization employs nearly 7,000 people, supported by about 1,000 physicians and advanced practice providers.

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, Independence reported more than $1.2 billion in total unrestricted revenue and a $19.5 million operating loss.

The acquisition follows an agreement reached with Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday in August. Under the settlement, WVU Health System must keep the Independence hospitals and facilities open for at least five years and notify the attorney general's office of significant service changes.

The agreement also requires WVU Health System to maintain charity care and financial assistance policies, negotiate in good faith with payers and establish safeguards preventing competitively sensitive information from moving between its insurance and provider subsidiaries.

The organizations previously said the combination would support expanded specialty care and services in western Pennsylvania, while enabling operational efficiencies and coordination through WVU Health System's insurance affiliate, Peak Health.

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