Adventist Health, OHSU (Oregon Health & Science University) and OHSU Partners have signed a non-binding letter of intent (LOI) to pursue an affiliation.

If a final agreement is reached, the affiliation would integrate Adventist Health’s Portland-area clinical enterprise with OHSU’s clinical enterprise, under the direction of OHSU Partners. The parties to the LOI will now conduct due diligence with the intention of reaching a final agreement by the end of the year.

OHSU Partners is a management company that oversees and directs the clinical programs and services of Salem Health, OHSU Healthcare and Tuality Healthcare as an integrated system. Salem Health and OHSU created the company and affiliation model in 2015. As a founding member of OHSU Partners, Salem Health was integral to affiliation discussions and approved this LOI.

“Our approach is attractive because it retains each organization’s strengths, while improving our collective ability to improve outcomes and value for patients,” said OHSU President Dr. Joe Robertson. “Adventist Health is known for its commitment to total patient wellness and would add great value to our growing system.”

Adventist Health Portland brings a health care network consisting of a 302-bed medical center, 34 medical clinics and home care and hospice services in the Portland/Vancouver metro area.

“We are excited to partner with innovative and respected organizations that are committed to quality care in our community. The fact that this affiliation enhances the complementary mission and focus of each partner hospital ensures that the highest quality medical and lifestyle approaches to health care are available to everyone,” said Joyce Newmyer, president of the Pacific Northwest Region of Adventist Health and Adventist Medical Center. “Our medical staff is thrilled to strengthen their relationships with the team at OHSU, bringing their research and best practices to patients in our local communities.”

Under the LOI, Adventist Health in Portland would become a part of the OHSU Partners system. A local site executive, selected by Adventist Health and OHSU Partners, will manage the Adventist Health Portland operations.

“Having a common vision for serving Oregonians and a shared bottom line that incentivizes collaboration over competition distinguishes OHSU Partners from other models,” said Peter Rapp, CEO of OHSU Partners. “The affiliates continue to own their separate assets, but the goal is to create an integrated delivery system with scale, resources, coordination and expertise, to exceed what the separate organizations could accomplish independently.”

About OHSU Partners
OHSU Partners is a company that strategically manages the clinical enterprises of Salem Health, OHSU and Tuality Healthcare. In 2015, Salem Health and OHSU created an integrated system managed by OHSU Partners, governed by the boards of Salem Health and OHSU, and intended to grow with new affiliations. The shared vision is to support a world-class, value-based healthcare system that combines the strengths of an academic health center with the best of community-based care. Under the strategic direction of OHSU Partners, the integrated system will expand access to care, reduce costs, and improve patient outcomes for Oregonians.

About Adventist Health
Adventist Health—Portland is a faith-based, not-for-profit health care network consisting of a 302-bed medical center, 34 medical clinics and home care and hospice services in the Portland/Vancouver metro area. Adventist Medical Center is ranked in the top 5 percent of hospitals nationwide for patient safety.  We are part of the Adventist Health enterprise, a faith-based, nonprofit integrated health system serving more than 75 communities in California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. Our workforce of 32,700 includes more than 23,400 employees; nearly 5,000 medical staff physicians; and 4,300 volunteers. Founded on Seventh-day Adventist heritage and values, Adventist Health provides compassionate care in 19 hospitals, more than 260 clinics (hospital-based, rural health and physician clinics), 15 home care agencies, seven hospice agencies and four joint-venture retirement centers. Adventist Health ranked #10 in Becker's list of the largest nonprofit hospital systems in the U.S. for 2015.

About Salem Health
Salem Health — an OHSU Partner — offers exceptional care to people in and around Oregon’s mid-Willamette Valley. It is comprised of hospitals in Salem and Dallas, a medical group of primary and specialty care providers, plus other affiliated services. For the second consecutive year, the hospital in Salem received the prestigious 2016 Truven Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals, placing it among the nation’s highest performing hospitals. “Like” us on www.facebook.com/salemhealth; follow us on Twitter: @salemhealth; and view us at www.youtube.com/salemhealth.

About OHSU
Oregon Health & Science University is the state’s only public academic health center. As one of Oregon’s largest employers with more than 15,000 employees, OHSU’s size contributes to its ability to provide many services and community support not found anywhere else in the state. It serves patients throughout the region. It operates two hospitals. OHSU Hospital is a Level 1 trauma center that is a key provider of complex medical care in Oregon. OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital is nationally recognized across multiple pediatric specialties. OHSU is a conduit for learning for more than 4,400 students and trainees. OHSU is the source of more than 200 community outreach programs that bring health and education services to each county in the state.