Healthier Georgia

Creating a Healthier Future for Georgia

On December 27, 2022, Wellstar Health System and Augusta University Health System (AUHS) signed a letter of intent to form an innovative new partnership that would expand Augusta University’s educational and research missions, and allow Wellstar to create a broader affiliation and partnership with the university’s Medical College of Georgia (MCG) as AUHS joins Wellstar.

Most of our day-to-day operations will remain the same, and patients should continue to access and receive care as they currently do. By joining forces and working together, the organizations can expand opportunities for students to learn and train in the medical field, and in turn, provide support for more patients across the state.

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. Overall, the future partnership would focus on creating a healthier future for Georgia.

Together, Wellstar’s resources as one of the most advanced health systems in the state, AUHS’s expertise in academic medicine and MCG’s nationally recognized medical education would drive tremendous expansion and innovation in clinical care, academic teaching and research in Georgia.

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

Expanding digital health offerings across the state to create more convenient access to care and provide more individualized care regardless of location.
Growing the pipeline of physicians and other health care 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 person each organization serves.

By partnering with AUHS and MCG and leveraging our respective strengths together, our goal would be to improve the health of the community, address social determinants of health and expand access to quality care for all Georgians.

We are excited for the opportunities this would bring for our organizations to make a greater impact on Georgians across the state.

For more information, read the full announcement here

Why are Wellstar Health System, August University Health System and the Medical College of Georgia partnering? And why now?

AUHS, Augusta University and the Wellstar Health System have a shared mission to solve Georgia’s health care challenges. Pending a definitive agreement and regulatory approval, the partnership would focus on expanding digital health offerings and growing the pipeline of physicians and other health care providers serving Georgia and developing innovative new care models and offerings that benefit patients and communities across the state. While there are aspects of the proposed partnership yet to be determined, the partnership would also likely result in significant investments to improve existing healthcare facilities and expand access to care across the state.

Can patients still use the same doctors and care facilities?

Yes. Nothing is changing for how patients receive care. Patients should continue to access care as they currently do.

Will patient care be impacted?

Nothing is changing for how patients receive care. Patients should continue to access care as they currently do. We are excited that this partnership would provide significant benefits for Georgians. Pending a definitive agreement and regulatory approval, the partnership would focus on expanding digital health offerings and growing the pipeline of physicians and other health care providers serving Georgia and developing innovative new care models and offerings that benefit patients and communities across the state. While there are aspects of the proposed partnership yet to be determined, the partnership would also likely result in significant investments to improve existing healthcare facilities and expand access to care across the state.

What specific investments has Wellstar agreed to fund?

Pending a definitive agreement, Wellstar would likely commit to make financial investments in AUHS facilities and infrastructure as well as digital health tools to make it easier for patients to receive care.