MEDNAX, Inc. today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire The NEXus Medical Group, LLC and its subsidiary, Meridian Anesthesia Consultants, LLC in Macon, Georgia.

As part of this transaction, 64 full-time anesthesia providers (15 anesthesiologists and 49 anesthetists) and six other clinical and administrative staff will become part of MEDNAX’s American Anesthesiology division, serving as an integrated physician group practice.

The NEXus Medical Group was established in 2003 and provides anesthesia services across a wide spectrum of subspecialty areas including general surgery, orthopedics, cardiac, obstetric, neurosurgery (including spine) and acute pain management at Medical Center, Navicent Health (formerly the Medical Center of Central Georgia) and its ambulatory surgery center. NEXus, through its subsidiary, Meridian Anesthesia Consultants, also provides services to the Georgia Neurological Institute, another ambulatory surgery center.

“Becoming part of MEDNAX offers us a variety of advantages. We can maintain our group’s culture and autonomy, and when it comes to rapidly changing demands in a post-reform healthcare environment, such as payor negotiations, billing and benchmarking, we now have the support of a national medical group,” said Alvin Sewell, M.D., who will serve as medical director for the practice. “We also look forward to having access to data collected and evaluated at a national level, and being part of the collaborative research, education and quality initiatives we need to maintain successful operations and achieve the best possible outcomes.”

Medical Center, Navicent Health is a designated Level I Trauma Center with 637 inpatient beds and is one of 42 twice-designated Magnet® hospitals for nursing excellence nationwide. It is the second largest hospital in Georgia. MEDNAX’s Pediatrix Medical Group division has been providing neonatology services at the hospital since 2005.

“Our partnership with MEDNAX builds upon our commitment to providing the highest quality, patient-centered care,” said President and CEO Dr. Ninfa M. Saunders, Navicent Health.

“By offering coordinated and integrated clinical care to patients, we can achieve optimized efficiencies, a better patient experience and improved outcomes,” added Chief Clinical Officer at Navicent Health, Fady Wanna, M.D.

MEDNAX’s American Anesthesiology division consists of more than 2,225 anesthesia providers, including more than 925 physicians and 1,300 anesthetists practicing in 13 states.

This is a cash transaction, and it is expected to be immediately accretive to earnings upon closing, which is scheduled for October 31, 2014 subject to normal closing conditions. No additional terms of the transaction were disclosed.

With this acquisition, nine physician group practices have become part of MEDNAX in 2014, seven as part of American Anesthesiology, and two as part of Pediatrix Medical Group.