Hospital M&A Rebounds in Q1 2026

By Health Capital Consultant, LLC

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After a slow 2025 that saw hospital and health system merger and acquisition (M&A) activity drop to multi-year lows, the first quarter of 2026 brought a marked rebound, with 22 hospital and health system transactions announced in the first quarter of 2026, representing the highest first quarter activity since 2020. The number of first quarter deals recorded by consulting firm Kaufman Hall contrasts sharply with the 46 transactions announced across all of 2025. Three of the quarter’s transactions qualified as “mega mergers,” in which the smaller party reported annual revenue over $1 billion, headlined by the proposed combination of Sacramento-based Sutter Health and Minneapolis-based Allina Health.

This Health Capital Topics article reviews the first quarter data, the factors driving the rebound, and the implications of the Sutter-Allina deal for cross-market hospital combinations across the U.S. (Read more…)

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EDUCATION: Books

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