The Northwestern Memorial Physicians Group officially merged Thursday with Northwestern Medical Group in an effort to better unify the two organizations’ clinical operations.

According to the medical group website, the 131-doctor physicians group joined the medical group to form a unified organization that will be branded Northwestern Medicine.

The merge will make the multi-specialty medical group the second-largest doctors group in Chicago, with nearly 1,100 doctors and healthcare professionals. Before joining the group, the physicians group was a primary care practice with more than 120 providers in more than 20 locations throughout the Chicagoland area. The new group’s website assured patients the transition would be smooth, but according to the Patient Help Service line, patients may experience longer wait times as a result of the switch.

The two groups are also in the process of combining their medical record systems and patient portals. Although medical records remained unchanged, the healthcare portal used previously, RelayHealth, was changed to a new system, Epic MyChart. Epic MyChart is an “industry-leading patient portal that provides access to the same confidential medical records your doctor sees,” according to the medical group website.

Patients can also expect to sign new patient forms during their next visit to the physician’s office and changes may occur in the group’s contracts with medical insurance providers.

The physicians group, formerly known as the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation, separated from the Feinberg School of Medicine last fall to join with Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

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