Promina Health System and EHCA, a joint venture run by Emory University and HCA - The Healthcare Co., have been the most dominant and powerful players among the state's multihospital systems. Now Tenet Healthcare Corp. is emerging as a more prominent force, having recently snapped up South Fulton Medical Center. Tenet is sharpening its focus on the Georgia market and has plans for future expansion in the state, said Greg Burfitt, Tenet's vice president of operations for the Southern states region. A CON is required for all new hospital projects that reach a particular cost threshold, such as the construction of a new hospital.
Tenet now owns five hospitals in Georgia.
Promina has eight hospitals, and EHCA jointly runs seven hospitals. WellStar Health System also remains a strong player with five hospitals. All four serve a portion of Atlanta's affluent northern suburbs, which have become a heated battleground for hospitals looking for lucrative revenue streams. The state's recent approval of EHCA's bid to reallocate some of the licensed beds within its system and build a new hospital in prime North Atlanta territory signaled that new consideration would be given to how effectively a system has placed its services for the greater good of the entire community. The CON approval also paved the way for EHCA to gain more level ground with rival Promina.