Warnock pushes for Wellstar promises under AU Health deal

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock is urging Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr to ensure Wellstar Health System commits to long-standing investments in Augusta University Health.

Warnock sent a letter to Carr as a part of the public comment period regarding the proposed merger between Wellstar and AU Health. Also as part of the period, Carr held a hearing earlier this week in Augusta.

The senator offered his conditional support for the merger, but recommended Carr require that any merger agreement contain these commitments from Wellstar:

• Do not move or shut down services currently offered at AU Medical Center. AU Health currently offers 37 lines of service and has received top recognition for heart attack, kidney failure, heart failure, and stroke care. Cutting any of these service lines would be disruptive and unacceptable, Warnock says. Any agreement should require Wellstar to commit to not closing any existing service lines for at least 20 years after the merger is finalized, Warnock says. Additionally, Wellstar should not move any lines of service outside of Richmond County for the same period.
• Allow AU Health providers to remain in Augusta. Any agreement should require Wellstar to commit to allowing current providers such as doctors, nurses and physician assistants the freedom to stay in the Augusta area instead of relocating them to Wellstar hospitals elsewhere.
• Provide robust community benefits that benefit preventive health. Warnock wants Wellstar to invest in Augusta, and other locations across the state, through various benefit categories in addition to charity care. Specifically, he wants any agreement to require Wellstar to commit to community benefit spending equal to its current median percent spent across its other facilities. Additionally, a meaningful share of the spending should be directed to preventive categories for marginalized residents.
• Agree to price constraints for hospital services. Research shows that hospital mergers within state, but not within the same geographic market, often result in price increases, Warnock says. Warnock wants Wellstar to commit to freezing the prices of services at AU Health for at least 10 years after the merger is finalized.
• Establish a Medical College of Georgia program to benefit primary care across the state. Georgia is experiencing crisis levels of health care workforce shortages, so Wellstar should train the next generation of primary care doctors, the senator says. Warnock wants any such agreement to last a minimum of 10 years and partially serve underserved areas of the state.
• Commit to providing relief for patients with medical debt. Warnock wants Wellstar to commit for at least 10 years to pause sending medical debt (for existing debt before the merger and post-merger debt) to debt collectors and credit reporting agencies and instead work in good faith to ensure the patient continues to have access to care.

AU Health wanted the merger after losing $63 million overall since 2017, according to audits. The health system has been looking for a partner like Wellstar since 2019.

Under the merger, Wellstar will become the sole corporate member of AU Health and will have a 40-year contract with the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.

Wellstar will spend nearly $800 million with the deal over the next 10 years, with millions used to build the new Columbia County hospital and move the current surgery center.

Also, $200 million will be used for the main Augusta University campus and $139 million will go toward various projects on the AU Medical Center campus.

Wellstar will also switch over to the new state electronic health records system.

In the first 10 years of the deal, regents have the right of first refusal if Wellstar tries to sell or transfer its stake in the Medical College of Georgia. That means the university system gets the first chance at acquiring the assets.

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