Atlantic General Hospital (AGH) iand TidalHealth announced that a definitive agreement has been signed that will bring the health systems together under the TidalHealth name.
Both TidalHealth and Atlantic have a presence in fast-growing Sussex County. TidalHealth operates a regional hospital in Salisbury and another in Seaford. Atlantic's hospital is located in Berlin, outside Ocean City.
“Healthcare systems are more frequently coming together to meet the challenges of an ever-evolving environment. We are proud to now have officially partnered with an organization that has very similar philosophies and beliefs, and together we will be working throughout the region to improve health and wellness across the continuum of care,” said Steve Leonard, CEO of TidalHealth. “We continue to look for partners on this journey and are excited about the opportunities to positively impact additional lives through the growth that will follow.”
AGH, its affiliated services, medical practices and outpatient facilities now joins TidalHealth. The combined entity includes TidalHealth McCready Pavilion in Crisfield, Md., along with primary care, specialty care offices, and medical campuses in Ocean Pines, Md. and Millsboro.
With the signing of this definitive agreement, AGH and TidalHealth teams will follow an integration plan. No immediate changes in staffing or the delivery of healthcare at either system is anticipated. For the immediate future, all Atlantic General entities, including the Berlin hospital, will remain branded as Atlantic General.
Backend opertions such as accounting, medical records and business operations will be combined.
“When we onboarded the former Nanticoke Memorial Hospital in 2020, we did it in the middle of a pandemic, which forced us to accelerate some of our processes just to keep up with the unprecedented requirements of patient care,” said Leonard. “The benefit of this agreement occurring now is that we can slow down that process and bring AGH and the team into our health system at a pace that is much more conducive to our overall structured transition plan.”
TidalHealth is committed to sustaining and growing services at the Berlin hospital as it did with TidalHealth Nanticoke in Seaford, a release stated.
In early 2024, Atlantic General Hospital began looking for a partner. TidalHealth and Atlantic General signed a letter of intent on Dec. 12, 2024.
Smaller hospitals have been merging with larger systems in Maryland as financial pressures and staff shortages intensify.
The University of Maryland system has gained a large chunk hospital market share on the Upper Shore and parts of the Eastern Shore in Maryland, with TidalHealth looking to expand its presence.
ChristianaCare, Delaware's largest hospital system acquired the parent of Union Hospital in the upper shore county of Cecil.
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