Two of Chicago's biggest hospital systems are joining forces. Rush University System for Health and Endeavor Health announced plans this week to merge into a single 12-hospital network that would rank among the largest health systems in the region, with combined annual revenue approaching $11 billion.

Under the proposed deal, the combined system would operate under the Rush name, bringing together Rush's three hospitals and Endeavor's nine into a network spanning more than 400 care sites and employing over 46,000 people, including more than 3,400 clinicians, according to WTTW's coverage of the announcement.

Endeavor has pledged to fund a $1 billion investment as part of the merger, to be directed toward research, community care and quality and innovation initiatives at the combined system, per reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times.

Leadership and Timeline

J.P. Gallagher, Endeavor's current president and CEO, is slated to lead the combined system once the deal closes, while Rush's Dr. Omar Lateef will remain in his post until then. The merger is targeted to close in early 2027, pending regulatory review, and executives say the deal is structured as a merger of near-equals rather than an acquisition, according to Fierce Healthcare's analysis of the transaction.

The move continues a wave of hospital consolidation nationally, as systems look for scale to negotiate with insurers and absorb rising labor and supply costs. For now, officials say patients at both systems should expect little immediate change, since the regulatory process is expected to take months. The outcome for nurses at both systems — some of whom have been organizing unions — remains an open question as the deal moves toward approval, and labor advocates say they'll be watching closely to see whether the merger affects staffing levels or bargaining leverage once it's finalized.