Advocate Aurora Health to merge with Atrium

Another big health system merger is coming down the pike––this time between Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health.

The merger will create a health and wellness delivery system to meet patient needs by redefining how, when and where care is delivered, according to a press release. The merger brings together Advocate Aurora Health, one of the 12 largest not-for-profit, integrated health systems in the U.S. and a major employer in the Midwest, with 75,000 team members, with Atrium Health, an integrated, nonprofit health system with more than 70,000 teammates, 40 hospitals and 500 care sites.

The new health system will have a combined footprint across Illinois, Wisconsin, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, serving 5.5 million patients across more than 1,000 sites of care and 67 hospitals. The combined value of the new health systems is $27 billion. The new organization will operate under Advocate Health, with the Advocate Health and Atrium Health brands continuing to be used in their respective local markets.

“The world of healthcare as we know it is changing at warp speed–and it is rapidly becoming more digital, personalized, scientific and complex,” Eugene A. Woods, president and CEO of Atrium Health, said in a statement. “This strategic combination will enable us to deepen our commitments to health equity, create more jobs and opportunities for our teammates and communities, launch new, game-changing innovations and so much more. Together, we will manifest a new future that significantly elevates the care we provide to every hand we hold and every life we touch.”