Six months after receiving the state attorney general's approval, the merger between Sandy Springs, Ga.-based Northside Hospital healthcare system and Lawrenceville, Ga.-based Gwinnett Medical Center healthcare network remains unfinished, according to Reporter Newspapers.
Here are four things to know about the deal:
1. Officials from both health systems announced the merger in 2015 and received state approval for the transaction in November 2017. State officials said the combined system would be able to begin operating by 2018.
2. Integration plans for the five-hospital company have stalled. A spokesperson for Northside Hospital told Reporter Newspapers the combined organization is "still awaiting" approval by the Federal Trade Commission.
3. An FTC spokesperson told Georgia Health News May 21 she "can't confirm of deny whether the FTC is investigating the merger."
4. Should the deal be completed, the merged system would comprise five hospitals, 150-plus case sites statewide and employ 16,000 people.