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WellStar Health System will soon be the largest health care provider in the state.
On Friday, April 1, the name on the front door of six Georgia hospitals will change to WellStar.
The Marietta-based company is adding five hospitals in metro Atlanta and one hospital in LaGrange.
So, what does this mean for patients?
“Typically mergers tend to raise prices, whether it’s a cable company merger or a hospital merger, so we’ll have to watch that,” says Andy Miller, the editor and CEO of Georgia Health News.
Miller expects to see mergers sooner or later involving Atlanta’s other major health organizations, including Emory, Piedmont and Northside.
“This consolidation will only continue in the near future because hospitals are looking to cut costs,” he says.
Last year WellStar and Emory nearly merged themselves. However, those talks ended in June 2015.
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