By Tara Fischer
Staff Writer
(March 12, 2026) In the latest step in the merger between TidalHealth and Atlantic General Hospital, the latter will now be known as TidalHealth Atlantic, and the organization is rolling out a new, more connected electronic medical record system called Epic MyChart.
The two health care systems finalized their agreement to merge under the TidalHealth umbrella in early May 2025. Now, 10 months later, that marriage has reached a new milestone: the unveiling of a new name for AGH.
The announcement came last Wednesday, when hospital officials revealed that AGH is now TidalHealth Atlantic. All Atlantic General Health System locations will adopt TidalHealth naming conventions during the relabeling process. For instance, Atlantic General Primary Care will become TidalHealth Primary Care.
Additionally, TidalHealth Home Scripts and AGHRx RediScripts are to be called TidalHealth Community Pharmacy, and Your Doc’s In is to be called TidalHealth Urgent Care. AtlanticGeneral.org will also now redirect website visitors to TidalHealth.org.
New signage installation at all AGH locations will be finalized by the first week of April.
Officials maintain that medical and facility staff will remain consistent to sustain the system’s commitment to local, reliable care.
“Our community is what makes our hospital,” said Doug Cook, the TidalHealth Atlantic Board chairperson. “The employees, the patients, all the people who work here that depend on this hospital…The name on the building has changed, but the people that make up the culture are still here. The doctors, the nurse practitioners, the PAs, the nurses, the medical staff, the facility management, the food and beverage people. They’re all still here, they’re all still the same.”
TidalHealth Atlantic President Don Owrey noted that the name change is the latest turning point in AGH history.
AGH opened its doors in Berlin as an independent entity in 1993. Owrey said that on that first day, the medical team treated 37 patients and delivered twins.
Since then, the organization has celebrated numerous achievements, including the creation of the Sorin Women’s Diagnostic Center in 2005, the opening of the James G. Barrett Building, the establishment of the cancer center in 2018, and, in 2024, the launch of the Gudelsky Family Medical Center in Ocean Pines.
The rebranding certifies the former AGH as part of the TidalHealth system.
“It’s more than just a visual change,” Owrey said. “It is a reflection of the promise that we are better together. It affirms our shared commitment to bring an even higher level of care to our community.
“Over the course of these past ten months, teams from TidalHealth and Atlantic General Hospital have been actively working together to align our businesses, clinical operations, and redesigning our work to improve the quality, access, and availability of services right here in our community.”
Additionally, in an effort to provide more efficient care, TidalHealth Atlantic and its associated offices have transitioned away from the web-based patient portal FollowMyHealth to the better-connected Epic MyChart.
Owrey said that the new platform was launched on Sunday, March 1. The portal allows medical staff to optimize patient care. The electronic record enables teams to work across locations, communicate with each other, share expertise, and adopt a more coordinated and effective approach.
“If someone receives care here at TidalHealth Atlantic and then visits another TidalHealth facility, that medical information flows with them. And it’s easily accessible by everyone involved in their care,” Owrey said.
“It leads to better communication, fewer delays, less duplication of services, and a more complete picture of the patient’s health. It’s the gold standard in the health care industry.”
Cody Taylor, an emergency medicine physician, added that the system provides doctors with more information than was available with the previous platform.
“We have access to patient visits from all over the area to various doctors and PAs,” he said. “I can see your ENT note, I can see your biopsy results, I can see that your heart medicine was just changed a week ago, and now you’re having symptoms. It really gives us a lot more information with a lot more power that helps us serve the community better.”
TidalHealth President and CEO Steve Leonard said that, as part of the merger, the hospital system intends to expand services, including robotics and orthopedics, enhance facilities, invest in technology, and create new opportunities for the health care teams.
“Most importantly, this partnership allows us to better support the health and well-being of Worcester and Sussex Counties for the long term with care provided here close to home,” he said.