The governing boards of Baylor Health Care System and Scott & White Healthcare announced Sept. 30 the completion of a merger nearly one year in the making.

The two have combined to create Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest nonprofit health system in Texas, with a total of $8.3 billion in assets, according to a company statement.

The new health care system includes 43 hospitals, 500 patient care sites, 6,000 affiliated physicians, 34,000 employees and the Scott & White Health Plan. Baylor and Scott & White first announced plans for the merger in December 2012 and signed an agreement in June 2013, according to the statement.

"Over the past 10 months, our two teams have worked diligently to complete our merger," said Dr. Robert Pryor, president, chief operating officer and chief medical officer of Baylor Scott & White Health. "Through our work together, we have confirmed that our two cultures are a good match. We share common values, most notably a commitment to teamwork and delivering the highest-quality patient-centered care."

The new health system is guided by an executive team and board members from both Baylor and Scott & White.

Baylor Scott & White Health is based in Dallas. Baylor Scott & White Health Service company, based in Temple, provides corporate functions such as human resources and information technology.