Valley Medical Center, a 321-bed acute care facility in Renton, Wash., will end its 15-year strategic affiliation with UW Medicine, effective Dec. 31, 2026, a spokesperson for the hospital confirmed to Becker’s.
The decision, made unanimously by Valley Medical Center’s board of commissioners in December, marks the end of a long-term partnership with Seattle-based UW Medicine that began in 2011. Valley Medical Center has remained an independent public hospital district throughout the partnership.
“The needs Valley had in 2011 when we entered this affiliation are vastly different than those we have today,” the hospital said in a statement provided to Becker’s. “Healthcare has changed over the past decade with care rapidly shifting to lower cost, community-based, outpatient settings.”
Valley Medical Center is currently exploring new partnerships that better align with its strategic priorities, focus on access and the evolving needs of its patients and surrounding communities.
“Reducing the cost of care, delivering the highest standard of care, and commitment to access remain our top priorities,” according to the hospital. “As the only Level I Trauma Center in the region and a provider of tertiary and quaternary care that Valley does not provide, we will always collaborate on some level with UW Medicine.”
UW Medicine did not respond to Becker’s request for comment.
