Virginia Mason to become an independent, local health care system

Virginia Mason Memorial’s board of directors voted last week to end its affiliation with Virginia Mason (Seattle, WA) and become an “independent, local healthcare system.”The decision comes several months after Virginia Mason started exploring the possibility of joining with CHI Franciscan, a Catholic nonprofit health system.

David Hargreaves, chairman of the Virginia Mason Memorial board, said that the hospital will continue working with Virginia Mason, as it did before the formal affiliation went into effect in 2016.

Virginia Mason, in a follow-up statement, also confirmed it would continue providing referral care.Hargreaves said the board hadn’t yet determined a timeline to unwind the affiliation but expects it to take anywhere from 30 to 90 days.