Mid-Columbia Medical Center announced Thursday it is going to begin a process to whether to remain independent, or partner with a compatible healthcare organization that will invest in and grow the health system.  This comes in the wake of MCMC ending several aspects of their collaboration agreement with OHSU Health last month.  In a statement, MCMC officials say its Board of Trustees, in conjunction with senior and physician leadership, has begun a strategic process to evaluate potential partners based on a number of factors, including the capacity to make needed investments in a new hospital campus, the ability to achieve economies of scale and maximize access for the community, and develop information systems, expand provider care resources and create access to needed service lines.  The hospital says no decision has been made about whether to form a partnership or stay independent.  CEO Dennis Knox said it the statement that MCMC “will explore whether to remain independent, or partner with a like-minded healthcare organization that is open to collaboration and interested in further investing in the advancement of healthcare” in the region.