Tufts Medical Center and Boston Medical Center two large Hub teaching hospitals are considering a blockbuster merger in what would be the latest in a string of high-profile hospital mega-unions in the Bay State.

Tufts Medical Center is currently engaged in discussions to explore a partnership with Boston Medical Center, Tufts spokeswoman Brooke Hynes said in a statement last night. Like Tufts MC, BMC is an outstanding academic medical center backed by an exceptional medical school and university.

Hynes declined to discuss specifics of the deal, including how close the two sides are to signing an agreement.

BMC, a 496-bed hospital, has one of the citys busiest trauma centers and holds a teaching affiliation with Boston University School of Medicine.

Tufts is a Chinatown hospital with 415 beds that in 2012 performed more heart transplants than any other hospital in Massachusetts. It also includes the Floating Hospital for Children and has a teaching affiliation with Tufts University School of Medicine.

Our organizations share a commitment to high quality, lower cost health care and to serving every patient with the greatest respect and compassion, Hynes said. Bringing our strengths together could be very powerful and meaningful, and we look forward to continuing our conversations with BMC.

BMC spokeswoman Melissa Monahan noted both are Hub hospitals that share a commitment to teaching and research.

There is more work we need to do before making a decision, but our conversations to date suggest the combination of our organizations could strengthen our missions to provide the highest-quality care to patients for many years to come, Monahan said.

With Tufts MC we have recognized that the combination of our individual strengths could create a partnership uniquely positioned to improve health care in Massachusetts, she added.

The mega-deal comes on the heels of Tufts acquisition of Lowell General Hospital, which was completed in October, and in response to other huge hospital consolidations.

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Tufts, Boston Medical Center talk merger