http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-transactions-and-valuation/lahey-beth-israel-and-others-ink-merger-agreement-to-create-13-hospital-system.html

Five Massachusetts hospitals and health systems have signed a definitive agreement to merge.

The agreement was signed by two Boston-based organizations — Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and New England Baptist Hospital — as well as Burlington, Mass.-based Lahey Health, Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Mass., and Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, Mass.

Under the agreement, the hospitals will operate under a parent organization but retain their names, licenses and independent boards.

The deal, which requires regulatory approval, would create the second largest health system in Massachusetts, according to the Boston Business Journal.

This is the first time Beth Israel and Lahey have signed a definitive agreement, but it marks the fourth time they’ve tried to merge.

In addition to the 13 hospitals, the new system would include 800 primary care physicians and more than 3,500 specialists.