Hoag, a nonprofit healthcare delivery network in Newport Beach, Calif., is seeking to separate from Renton, Wash.-based Providence Health.
The organization's founders, the Association of Presbyterian Members and the George Hoag Family Foundation, recently filed litigation against Providence to dismantle the affiliation.
Hoag attempted to negotiate a realignment of its affiliation with Providence for "more than a year," said George Wood, Hoag board of directors chair, "but the COVID-19 pandemic underscored our need for independence."
Hoag merged with Irvine, Calif.-based St. Joseph Health in 2012 to improve care in Orange County, Calif.
But Providence Health & Services merged with St. Joseph Health to form Providence St. Joseph Health in 2016, with the affiliation deemed to be "not in the best interest" of Hoag's patients, community or physicians, according to Hoag President and CEO Robert Braithwaite.
Officials from Providence released the following statement to The Orange County Register:
"Now, at a time when all hospitals and health systems are battling the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hoag leaders took legal action to sever its relationship with Providence for reasons that remain unclear," said the statement from Providence. "Our relationship has been strong since 2012. The Hoag leaders' so-called 'realignment' plan would negatively impact patient care, diminish resources and medical expertise available to Orange County."