AUGUSTA, GA. — Wellstar Health System and Augusta University Health System (AUHS) have reached an agreement where AUHS facilities will come into Wellstar’s network of hospitals and clinics. The most notable affected facility is Augusta University Medical Center (AUMC), a more than 600-bed safety net and teaching hospital. Wellstar will also have a broader affiliation with the university’s Medical College of Georgia, the only public medical college in the state.
Marietta, Ga.-based Wellstar has also pledged to invest $800 million over 10 years for AUHS facilities and infrastructure, including more than $200 million allocated to AUMC. Additionally, capital for a new hospital, medical office building and ambulatory surgery center in Columbia County and the costs associated with implementing a new state-funded electronic medical records system throughout AUHS will be funded.
AUHS will operate under a new name, Wellstar MCG Health, once the deal is finalized later this year. The boards of Wellstar and AUHS and the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia have approved the agreement.