The two health systems will finalize a strategic partnership in 2018 that should lead to a definitive agreement that would make DeKalb a part of Emory Healthcare.
A letter of intent between DeKalb Medical and Emory Healthcare is the latest strategic agreement as dominant healthcare providers in the state continue to stake out their territories in a rapidly changing market.
Healthcare in Georgia continues to consolidate at a furious pace, with Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare and Piedmont Healthcare competing for scale in the state.
The deal between DeKalb and Emory is the latest escalation of a partnership that has evolved over several years. The letter of intent the two organizations recently signed signals the beginning of the process to formulate a definitive agreement to bring the two health systems together under Emory Healthcare system. The two institutions anticipate finalizing the partnership in 2018, after receiving final approval from regulatory agencies.
“We understand the importance of both community hospitals and academic medical centers in delivering optimal care to our patients,” said Jonathan S. Lewin, MD, Emory University executive vice president for health affairs and CEO of Emory Healthcare, in a press release. “A partnership with DeKalb Medical will strategically support these efforts.”
DeKalb Medical is a 56-year-old nonprofit health system with three hospital campuses in DeKalb County as well as 50 DeKalb Medical Physicians Group offices in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties. Its medical staff includes more than 800 physicians in 49 specialties.
“We are excited about the future,” Robert E. Wilson, president and CEO of DeKalb Medical, said. “This partnership will strengthen our ability to continue to deliver high-quality community-based healthcare.”
Emory Healthcare includes the Emory Healthcare Network, a clinically integrated network with nearly 2,000 Emory and private practice physicians and seven hospitals in metro Atlanta, the Emory Clinic, the Emory Wesley Woods campus, 200 provider locations across the state, and nearly 60 urgent care clinics in metro Atlanta. Emory Healthcare is the clinical component of Emory University, and is part of the Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center, an academic health center comprising hospitals and clinics as well as schools of medicine, public health, and nursing.
Philip Betbeze is the senior leadership editor at HealthLeaders.