A new partnership between Augusta University Health System (AUHS) and Wellstar Health System should result in expanded healthcare access across Georgia, including a hospital and medical center in Columbia County.
AUHS and Wellstar signed a letter of intent to form the partnership earlier this week. Wellstar employs about 24,000 people statewide, including top doctors and nurses. The partnership will also include the Medical College of Georgia.
The partnership is expected to concentrate on three main areas:
- 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 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 patient.
The United States is facing a physician shortage and Dr. David Hess, Dean of MCG, said Georgia typically ranks about 40th in the number of physicians per capita.
The partnership would address the need to train more physicians and address a growing statewide shortage. With 60 percent of MCG graduates entering a primary care residency, training more physicians in these disciplines would support increased access to frontline care provided by specialists, such as family medicine physicians and general pediatricians, especially in underserved areas of the state.
A new teaching campus in Atlanta at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital could also be established under the proposed partnership. As a result, MCG, which already has the ninth-largest freshman medical school class in the nation, would grow to become one of the largest public medical schools in the country.
“Educating the next generation of physicians is more critical than ever,” Hess said. “I’m excited about the partnership with Wellstar since it will enable our students and residents to continue to learn from some of the most highly qualified physicians and other healthcare professionals in the state while allowing MCG to expand its contributions to improving public health in Georgia, especially in more rural regions.”
While there are aspects of the proposed partnership yet to be determined, it will 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.
“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,” said Candice Saunders, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wellstar Health System.
MCG and Augusta University are part of the University System of Georgia (USG), and MCG serves as the only public medical school in the state.
“Providing health care has never been as dynamic and complex as it is today, and this partnership with the Georgia-based, not-for-profit Wellstar Health System would enable us to extend our mission of improving health through excellence in patient care, education, and research for the benefit of Georgians,” said Brooks Keel, acting Chief Executive Officer of Augusta University Health System and President of Augusta University.
Several Wellstar facilities have been recognized in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings for providing world-class care in a variety of specialties, including cardiology, neurology, cancer care, and pediatrics. Its combination of facilities serves one out of every six Georgians, including patients from 148 out of 159 Georgia counties.
