Medical City Healthcare, a division of HCA Healthcare, is in talks to acquire Wise Health System, in Decatur, Texas, potentially adding another hospital to the 16 it already has in North Texas.

The two announced on January 3 that they had entered into a period of exploration around the idea.

A not-for-profit organization, Wise Health System today serves residents in five North Texas counties and employs over 1,800 people with a medical staff of more than 450 providers.

In addition to the 16 Medical City Healthcare facilities, HCA Healthcare has 47 care sites in Texas. In total, it has 182 hospitals and approximately 2,300 care sites across 20 states, including surgery centers, off-campus emergency rooms, urgent care centers, home health and hospice agencies, and physician clinics.

“I believe exploring a future alliance with Medical City Healthcare is the absolute best way to continue providing the best delivery of health services and carry our mission forward. It’s about our patients and their families, our community, and our employees — not the name on the door,” said Jason Wren, FACHE, president and CEO of Wise Health System, in a statement.

Started as the Decatur Community Hospital in 1974, the Wise Health System had 50 patient beds and two operating rooms when it opened. Today, it offers inpatient and outpatient services at multiple locations, including hospitals, primary care and specialty clinics, physical therapy and rehabilitation centers, imaging centers and bariatric surgery program offices.

The board of Wise Health System unanimously supports the discussions for establishing some form of affiliation with Medical City Healthcare.

Patient care will continue and not be interrupted by the talks. The due diligence and acquisition process is expected to take several months before the two health systems enter any potential definitive agreement, according to both providers.

Erol Akdamar, American Group president of HCA Healthcare, says that both systems continue to rank among the best in the nation for facilitating patient safety and services.

“We look forward to exploring potential ways to work together to continue caring for the Wise Health community and improve access to high-quality healthcare services.”

No financial details have been disclosed at this time.

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