Augusta University Health System, Wellstar Health System Announce Letter of Intent for Healthcare Partnership

Augusta University Health System signed a letter of intent with Wellstar Health System to form a new partnership that would expand Augusta University’s educational and research missions and allow Wellstar Health System to create a broader affiliation with the university’s Medical College of Georgia as AUHS joins the Wellstar Health System.

While there are aspects of the proposed partnership yet to be determined, the partnership would likely result in significant investments to improve existing healthcare facilities and to expand access to care across the state, including a new hospital and medical office buildings in Columbia County.

The proposed partnership would innovate clinical care, training and research while adopting a successful model of bringing together community-based health systems and academic medical centers such as MCG and its teaching hospitals. MCG and Augusta University are part of the University System of Georgia and MCG serves as the only public medical school in the state.

Pending a definitive agreement and regulatory approval, the partnership would focus on three strategic initiatives:

• Expanding digital health offerings to create more convenient access to care and provide more individualized care regardless of location.
• Growing the pipeline of physicians and other healthcare providers serving Georgia by increasing the number of students who train and conduct research through MCG.
• Developing new treatments, innovative care offerings and scalable care models to optimize the health and well-being of every patient.