Gwinnett Health System, the parent of Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, and Northside Hospital, which has operations in Forsyth County, have submitted a proposed merger agreement.
The paperwork has been submitted to the attorney general's office for review, according to a press statement issued Thursday morning.
Officials said the combined hospital system, consisting of five hospitals, could be operational by 2018.
"Anchored by Northside Hospital in Sandy Springs and Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, the new health system also will include hospitals in Canton, Cumming and Duluth, as well as cancer treatment centers, imaging centers, urgent care centers and other outpatient locations throughout the state. Altogether, the Northside-Gwinnett combined system will have 1,479 beds, nearly 21,000 employees and 3,500 physicians on staff," officials said in a statement.
Combined, the hospital systems serve more than 3 million patients annually.
