On March 31, 2023, Wellstar Health System and Augusta University Health System (AUHS), with approval from both organizations’ boards, reached an agreement to form an innovative, new partnership that will create a broader affiliation with the university’s Medical College of Georgia (MCG).

Wellstar, AUHS and MCG share a mission to solve health care challenges across the state, and together, they will drive significant advances in clinical care, academic teaching and research in Georgia. By combining the best of community health care and academic medicine, the organizations will make a transformational impact on improving the health and wellbeing of each patient they serve –  creating a healthier future for Georgia.

To accomplish this, the partnership will focus on five key areas:

  • Access to Expertise:  Creating an ecosystem of care that provides the most advanced clinical care, innovated academic teaching models, and lifesaving research to all corners of the state and beyond.
  • Expanding the Pipeline of Clinicians:  Making significant investments to increase the number of clinicians trained in Georgia at the Medical College of Georgia.
  • Care Innovation:  Creating new and innovative clinical care offerings and models to enhance the health and well-being of patients we serve.
  • Pediatric Care:  Bringing Wellstar and AUHS’s exemplary pediatric care to more Georgians across the state through Children’s Hospital of Georgia and Wellstar’s dedicated pediatric care and emergency departments.
  • Digital Health:  Making significant investments in improving clinical IT, modernizing digital care centers, and adding remote care offerings backed by the academic medical expertise of the Medical College of Georgia.

Most of the day-to-day operations will stay the same, and patients will continue to access care as they currently do. The organizations are excited for the benefits this partnership will provide and are confident about the opportunity to transform health care through a better patient experience, more accessible care and better value.

For more information, read the  full announcement here.

Georgia Life Sciences Designates City of Atlanta as Newest BioReady® Community

By Sheran Brown • February 21, 2025
Georgia Life Sciences Designates City of Atlanta as Newest BioReady® Community

Bipartisan PBM Reform Back in Focus as House Committee Plans Hearing

By Sheran Brown • February 20, 2025
A renewed push for prescription drug cost reform is gaining momentum in Congress, with the House Energy and Commerce Committee's health subcommittee planning a hearing on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform for late February. The hearing, to be led by Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), signals a revival of bipartisan efforts to regulate these pharmaceutical intermediaries. PBMs, which negotiate drug prices for insurers and employers, have become a focal point in the broader discussion of healthcare costs. A previous bipartisan agreement to regulate these entities was crafted by Carter and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) in the last Congress, though it ultimately stalled when the larger spending bill it was attached to faced opposition. The reform efforts enjoy broad support from both parties and the president, making it one of the few areas with potential for bipartisan cooperation. However, new complications have emerged as Republicans consider using PBM regulations to generate savings for their broader policy agenda, potentially requiring up to $880 billion in cost reductions. The path forward remains uncertain, with ongoing debates about whether such reforms would qualify for budget reconciliation and whether using PBM regulations as a funding mechanism could derail bipartisan cooperation. Meanwhile, stakeholders continue to disagree on the impact of additional PBM regulation, with pharmaceutical companies arguing that PBMs inflate drug costs while PBMs contend that new regulations would increase prices.

Council on State Biotechnology Associations says NIH funds are a critical component of innovation ecosystem

By Sheran Brown • February 20, 2025
The Council of State Biotechnology Associations (CSBA) has issued a strong warning about proposed cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, emphasizing the critical role these grants play in America's biotech innovation ecosystem. The statement, below , comes amid concerns over recent guidance that would reduce NIH funding to key research institutions. ----------------------- “Today, the US biotech industry employs nearly 2.3 million people across the US and is making positive contributions to economic impact and national security across all 50 states. In fact, for every dollar the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contributes to a successful drug, the private sector invests over $65, underscoring the agency’s unparalleled return on investment. As the associations representing the bioscience industry across the nation, the Council on State Biotechnology Associations (CSBA) is concerned by recent guidance that would cut funding provided by the NIH to universities, hospitals, and other institutions that perform critical early-stage research. NIH grant funds are a critical component of our innovation ecosystem. Grants for basic research are the spark that leads to university-driven discoveries, with public-private partnerships and tech transfers that bridge early-stage research to industry-sponsored drug development and ultimately to FDA approved medical advances for hundreds of diseases. While the administration looks for greater efficiency in the use of taxpayer dollars, it cannot be overstated - once scientific innovation moves abroad, it may never return. In the race for scientific innovation around the world, as our adversaries continue to increase government investments in research, we encourage President Trump to follow suit and ensure that we maintain our global leadership in an industry that was created and thrives across the US.”
MORE POSTS
Share by: