Partnership Fever: Emory, DeKalb Medical ‘ Hoping To Get Married’

DeKalb Medical, based in Decatur, has been one of metro Atlanta’s last “standalone’’ hospital organizations in an era of rapid consolidation among systems.

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DeKalb Medical and Emory Healthcare have signed a letter of intent to develop a strategic partnership that could bring the two metro Atlanta health systems together under the Emory roof.

The letter of intent means that DeKalb Medical, which has been seeking such a partnership, has ended discussions with other systems and is entering exclusive talks with Emory.

“We think there’s a great synergy between the academic health system [of Emory] and the community-based system,’’ Cheryl Iverson, a DeKalb Medical vice president, said Tuesday after the announcement. “We felt it was the best situation for us.”