Mississippi Baptist Health Systems in Jackson and Baptist Memorial Health Care in Memphis, Tenn., are exploring a possible collaboration.
The systems said discussions are conceptual, but may include a combination or merger in the future.
If the two systems reach an agreement, it would create one of the largest Baptist health systems in the country, the health systems said. It also would include the expansion of the Epic EMR system to Mississippi Baptist. Baptist Memorial has implemented this system as part of its Baptist OneCare program.
Baptist Memorial is one of the nation's largest nonprofit health systems, comprising 17 affiliate hospitals in the Mid-South, including six in Mississippi; more than 3,000 affiliated physicians; Baptist Medical Group, a multispecialty physician group with more than 500 physicians; home, hospice and psychiatric care; a network of surgery, rehabilitation and other outpatient centers; and an education system highlighted by the Baptist College of Health Sciences.
Mississippi Baptist is the parent company of Baptist Medical Center, Baptist Medical Center Attala, Baptist Medical Center Leake, Baptist Medical Center Yazoo and various related healthcare services and programs.