Northside Hospital and Gwinnett Health System announced Tuesday that the two medical entities have cleared the final regulatory hurdle toward combining operations.
"We are excited to move forward on the merging of our two health systems," said Bob Quattrocchi, president and CEO, Northside Hospital in a press statement. "Leaders from both systems are already meeting to develop a comprehensive integration plan that honors our employees and physicians. This plan ensures that our patients continue to receive quality health care with no disruption of service."
The merger agreement was approved by the State of Georgia Office of the Attorney General in November 2017. Late last week, the Federal Trade Commission completed its review of the combination and gave its approval to move forward. The two systems now will focus on finalizing patient, operational, and business functions. The combined system is expected to be operational by summer 2019.
"Through the merged entity, Gwinnett County will continue to have access to world-class medical treatment," said Philip Wolfe, president and CEO of Gwinnett Health System, the parent company of Gwinnett Medical Center. "Health care is a dynamic industry that requires complex technology, highly skilled medical professionals and exceptional leadership. I’m confident the merger will help sustain our ability to offer leading-edge, compassionate and effective health care close to home for many years to come."
Anchored by five hospitals in Sandy Springs, Lawrenceville, Cumming, Canton and Duluth, the new nonprofit health system will also operate additional sites of care including cancer treatment, imaging, surgical, urgent care and other outpatient centers throughout the state, according to press information.
Altogether, the Northside-Gwinnett combined system will have 1,604 inpatient beds, over 250 outpatient locations, 21,000 employees and more than 3,500 physicians on staff.
