Novant has signed an agreement to purchase three South Carolina hospitals and associated physician practices and other related operations from Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: THC) for $2.4 billion.

The health system, which is based in Winston-Salem and also has significant operations in the Charlotte and Wilmington regions, will acquire Hilton Head Hospital in Beaufort County (photo), Coastal Carolina Hospital in Hardeeville (Jasper County), and East Cooper Medical Center in Mount Pleasant (Charleston County).

All three hospitals are located on the South Carolina coast, in the southern part of the state.

The Novant network consists of 16 hospitals and hundreds of outpatient facilities and physician clinics in the Carolinas. It employs more than 36,000, including more than 1,900 physicians.

Tenet Healthcare Corporation is headquartered in Dallas and operates 61 acute care and specialty hospitals and about 600 outpatient facilities.