Carolinas HealthCare System and UNC Health Care plan to merge

CHAPEL HILL (WTVD) -- Plans to elevate health for North Carolinians are in the works after Carolinas HealthCare System and UNC Health Care announced Thursday that they want to join forces to create "one of the leading nonprofit healthcare systems in the nation," the companies said in a news release.

The organizations have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to join their clinical, medical education, and research resources.

Under the LOI, the two organizations have agreed to start a period of exclusive negotiations, hoping to enter into final agreements by the end of the year.

The new organization will deliver world-class care to people in North Carolina by creating the most comprehensive network of primary, specialty, and on-demand care in the Southeast.

By creating a joint operating company, they would work together to tackle a myriad of problems, from building new hospitals to negotiating with insurance companies.

"Together with UNC Health Care, we believe that the opportunities to be a national model and to elevate health in North Carolina are nearly limitless," said current president and CEO of Carolinas HealthCare System, and future CEO of the new entity, Gene Woods.

Carolinas HealthCare System and UNC Health Care will improve access to care in underserved and rural geographies, jointly addressing behavioral health needs, designing new models of care, and further developing virtual care platforms, officials said.

According to the release, the joint organization also will work to expand medical education, serving as the platform for training future health care providers.

The new organization said it also plans to "further the development of clinical care destination centers and centers of excellence as well as differentiated care in pediatrics, cancer, transplant services, among others."

For more information, visit Together in HealthCare's website.