Albany, N.Y.-based St. Peter's Health Partners and Schenectady, N.Y.-based Ellis Medicine have signed a letter of intent to explore combining.
The health systems said the letter of intent builds on a long-existing partnership. For years they have worked closely on many initiatives, including the Alliance for Better Health and the Innovative Health Alliance of New York.
They will work to develop a definitive agreement over the next several months. Any final agreement would require approval by the boards of both organizations, and state and federal regulators.
Ellis Medicine is a teaching health system with five campuses and 3,300 employees. St. Peter's Health Partners is a member of Trinity Health and has 12,000 employees in more than 185 locations.
Read the full news release here.