A hospital system and two separate imaging center chains are banding together in a new joint venture deal announced Wednesday.

Under terms of the agreement, Pleasantville, New Jersey-based Atlantic Medical Imaging will partner with Regional Diagnostic Imaging in the same state to operate nine existing imaging centers.

Regional Diagnostic has for years served as imaging partner for Inspira Health Network, a three-hospital nonprofit based in Woodbury, New Jersey. They’re seeking additional know-how from the outside imaging group as hospital leaders grapple with increasing patient volumes.

“AMI brings vast expertise in providing outpatient imaging services,” Inspira Health CEO Amy Mansue said June 14. “By working together with them and our long-time radiology partner RDI, we will be able to increase access, schedule studies more quickly, expand services and enhance the patient experience for all of our patients.”

The deal includes three Atlantic Medical Imaging locations in the South Jersey communities of Upper Deerfield and Vineland, along with the AMI Vascular Institute in Vineland. Six more hospital outposts across Sicklerville, Mullica Hill, Glassboro, Vineland, and Woolwich Township will be rebranded as “AMI at Inspira Health.”

“This partnership will allow us to expand into Gloucester and Camden counties with a partner that has a long-standing history of serving these communities and will also allow us to provide an expanded suite of imaging and vascular services to patients,” Atlantic Medical Imaging CEO David Levi, MD, said in the announcement.

AMI started out in 1964 as a one-man radiology practice. Today it is one of the “leading” imaging groups in New Jersey, employing 63 board-certified physicians and 700-plus staff members across 17 office locations. RDI, meanwhile, has been partners with Inspira Health since 2006 and grown alongside the hospital group to now include 30 radiologists covering all subspecialties.