About Us Our Services Patients Visitors Our Foundation Work Here Resources MyPortal Find a Physician Locations Contact Us Home » About Us » Wellstar Partnership About Us Our Mission Patient Safety Goals Our History Our Leadership Accreditations Our Physicians Awards and Honors Board of Trustees Wellstar Partnership Community Resource Directory Our Services Patients Visitors Our Foundation Work Here Resources Physicians WELLSTAR PARTNERSHIP West Georgia Health officially becomes Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center West Georgia Health officially becomes Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center West Georgia Health officially became Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center committed to delivering on Wellstar’s vision of world-class healthcare on April 1, 2016. West Georgia Medical Center will remain a not-for-profit that is committed to investing in the care of our community with new treatments and technology. “We are writing history with the newly named Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center,” said Jerry Fulks, president of Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center. “We are fortunate to join a System of likeminded individuals who are actively working to improve the health and wellbeing of their patients and community. With WellStar, we are better positioned to care for our patients today and in the future.” In addition to Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center, Wellstar is acquiring Tenet Healthcare’s five Georgia-based hospitals. With this growth, Wellstar becomes the largest health system in Georgia and one of the largest not-for-profit health systems in the country. The new 11 hospital system will expand upon its proven clinical care models and patient safety programs that have resulted in increased quality and improved access to healthcare to new communities. “As Wellstar continues on the journey to deliver world-class healthcare our physicians, nurses and team members put the patient and family first,” said Candice Saunders, president & CEO of WellStar Health System. “With an expanded footprint, we will leverage best practices to make a difference in the health of our communities by delivering the right care, at the right time in the right place.” With approximately 20,000 team members, Wellstar remains committed to its Employer of Choice strategy that has led to numerous accolades for work-life balance, including being named to Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list for the past three years. “At Wellstar, we are creating an atmosphere that fosters healing and wellness,” said Gary Miller, chair of WellStar Board of Trustees. “We are changing the way we care for our communities with cutting edge treatments and new initiatives that keep people healthy. Together, we are better positioned to provide world-class healthcare to our patients for years to come in LaGrange-Troup County and beyond.” With ever-changing government regulations and reimbursement pressures, health systems across the country are looking for new efficiencies. To better serve its patients, Wellstar chose to be proactive to secure the future of high-quality care in its communities. The geography of West Georgia Health and Tenet’s five Georgia hospitals complements WellStar’s current footprint. With a larger integrated system, Wellstar will continue its strategic focus on the Triple Aim—higher quality, improved access and affordable healthcare. About Wellstar Health System Wellstar Health System, the largest health system in Georgia, is known nationally for its innovative care models, focused on improving quality and access to healthcare. Wellstar consists of Wellstar Medical Group, more than 200 medical office locations, outpatient centers, health parks, a pediatric center, nursing centers, hospice, homecare, as well as 11 inpatient hospitals: Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center, Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center South, Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center (anchored by Wellstar Kennestone Hospital), Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center, and Wellstar Cobb, Douglas, North Fulton, Paulding, Spalding Regional, Sylvan Grove and Windy Hill hospitals. As a not-for-profit, Wellstar continues to reinvest in the health of the communities it serves with new technologies and treatments. For more information, visit wellstar.org. FAQs Friday, March 11, 2016 On Monday, March 7, West Georgia Health and WellStar Health System officials signed the final documents that cement their partnership, with the merger becoming official on April 1. On that day, West Georgia Health became WellStar West Georgia Medical Center. To answer questions that still may be lingering in our community about this partnership, West Georgia Health President & CEO Jerry Fulks and WellStar President & CEO Candice Saunders provided the following insight: Why did West Georgia Health choose to seek a strategic partnership with a larger health system? For the past few years, the healthcare industry has been going through a period of substantial transition. With ever-changing government regulations and reimbursements, health systems across the country have been looking for new efficiencies that will allow for improved access to healthcare, lower cost and higher quality. Like many of our peer health systems around the country, we were facing these same challenges a couple of years ago. That prompted us to begin searching for a strategic partner who first and foremost shared our mission, vision and values, but also possessed the breadth and experience in providing high-quality clinical programs and best-in-class experiences for its patients. We also concluded that we should align with an organization that is financially strong enough to help fund capital investments that will be necessary for the continued provision of state-of-the-art technology for our community. We took a very deliberate and methodical approach to identifying the best possible partner for our health system and community, and we believe that WellStar is an excellent fit on all points of consideration. We are excited about the opportunity to join with them in their vision of delivering world-class healthcare to the communities we serve and look forward to officially joining WellStar in the very near future. What are the benefits to the Troup County community? Troup County and the surrounding West Georgia community will benefit immensely from this partnership. In preparing for the Attorney General’s review of the proposed partnership, West Georgia Health commissioned PYA, a healthcare consulting firm, to conduct a community benefit analysis. Their findings determined that the partnership would benefit West Georgia Health’s ability to manage costs through shared resources, physician recruitment, new service development and enhanced clinical services by drawing from WellStar’s expertise in clinical and operational efficiencies. In addition, WellStar has committed to investing $84 million in capital improvements over seven years, with $30 million to be allocated within the first two years of the partnership. Through this capital commitment and the generosity of hundreds of West Georgia Health Foundation donors, we expect to begin renovating and upgrading our new community cancer center. What are the benefits to WellStar? As not-for-profits, WellStar and West Georgia Health have similar missions and commitments to our communities. By bringing WGH into the regional system, WellStar is continuing its commitment to deliver world-class healthcare to the communities it serves. WellStar has been very impressed with the level of care delivered by the entire WGH team. While WellStar has a lot to bring to WGH, WellStar looks forward to learning from some of the wonderful things WGH is already doing for its community. What will change about how West Georgia Health does business? When the partnership becomes official, we expect West Georgia Health’s operations to continue in accord with our mission of providing high-quality care to our community. It will be “business as usual” for the first several months so the combined team leaders will have the opportunity to evaluate operations and determine how to proceed toward operating more efficiently and effectively. Not only do we expect to continue offering all of our core clinical services, but also we are excited to perhaps have the opportunity to add new clinical services for the benefit of our community. What’s on the horizon for West Georgia Health? Any advancements, improvements or additions you’d like to mention? Elaborating on the new Community Cancer Center, West Georgia Health will be able to bring all of its cancer services under one roof. With the recent addition of radiation oncologist Dr. Robert Taylor to the team, we are now offering state-of-the-art Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) and Stereotactic Ablative Surgery (SABR) radiation therapies. In addition, we will continue to offer infusion therapy, immunotherapy, genetics counseling, advanced diagnostic technologies and a multidisciplinary cancer committee to evaluate each new case and determine the optimum treatment plan customized for each patient. How will funds raised through the West Georgia Health Foundation be used? After the partnership between West Georgia Health and WellStar becomes official, the West Georgia Health Foundation will remain a separate entity. Funds raised through our Foundation for projects benefitting our local health system will be earmarked as such and support the designated projects. West Georgia Hospice will become a part of WellStar, however we would like to note that funds raised by the Hospice Advisory Committee through events such as the Ely Callaway Golf Event will remain a part of the West Georgia Health Foundation and will benefit West Georgia Hospice patients and programs. Share PATIENTS AND VISITORS CONTACT US LOCATIONS STAFF AND INTERNAL FOR VENDORS REMOTE SUPPORT Join Us The Joint Commission National Quality Approval Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program Commission on Cancer Accreditation © Copyright 2021 WellStar West Georgia Medical Center Mobile Website