Augusta (Ga.) University Health System signed a letter of intent to join Marietta, Ga.-based Wellstar Health System.
In 2019, the two groups began discussing a possible merger, as the partnership will allow Wellstar to create an affiliation with the university's Medical College of Georgia.
The partnership will focus on expanding digital health offerings, growing the number of physicians and developing new forms of care, according to a Dec. 27 Augusta University Health news release.
Wellstar now has a broader affiliation with the university's Medical College of Georgia. Additionally, the partnership could create a new teaching campus at Atlanta-based Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.
While specific aspects of the partnership were undisclosed, the two parties are looking to build a new hospital and medical office building in Columbia County.
"By bringing Augusta University Health System together with Wellstar Health System and leveraging our respective strengths, we would improve the health of the community, address social determinants of health and expand access to quality care for all Georgians," Wellstar President and CEO Candice Saunders said.