Atlanta group could take over Augusta University hospitals

ATLANTA — An Atlanta-area hospital system could take over the hospitals affiliated with Georgia’s only public medical school under a deal announced Tuesday. Augusta University Health System runs the 478-bed Augusta University Medical Center and the 154-bed Children’s Hospital of Georgia, both in Augusta. The announcement also said Augusta University and Wellstar would work together to expand online health care to “create more convenient access to care and provide more individualized care regardless of location.” Wellstar runs nine hospitals in suburban Atlanta, mostly concentrated in the northwest suburbs. “By joining forces and working together, we can leverage Wellstar’s clinical platform and leading-edge systems to support patients while providing more opportunities for students to learn, train and care for residents in local communities across Georgia,” University System Chancellor Sonny Perdue said in a statement.