Atrium Health, WakeMed plan merger and $2B investment: 6 things to know

Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health and Raleigh, N.C.-based WakeMed Health & Hospitals plan to combine into a single health system, supported by a $2 billion investment in Wake County (N.C.) to expand facilities, grow the workforce and broaden care access across North Carolina.

The proposed deal would bring WakeMed, a nonprofit health system, under Atrium Health, a member of Charlotte-based Advocate Health. The Wake County Board of Commissioners will vote May 4 on an amendment to WakeMed’s Transfer Agreement, which will mark a key step toward finalizing the combination, according to a May 1 news release shared with Becker’s.

Here are six things to know:

1. The $2 billion to grow WakeMed’s footprint would include the redevelopment and expansion of its Raleigh Campus; the expansion of Cary (N.C.) Hospital and North Hospital in Raleigh; added development of inpatient and outpatient services at the WakeMed Garner (N.C.) Whole Health Campus; construction of two new Healthplex locations to offer standalone emergency departments and outpatient services.

2. The combination would add more than 3,300 healthcare jobs over five years and expand services to 1 million people statewide. It would also establish North Carolina’s largest nonprofit behavioral health network, with more than 360 inpatient mental health beds, and a statewide virtual care network that would add at least 100,000 virtual visits annually, according to the release.

3. The deal is subject to regulatory review, which is expected to take several months, followed by a structured integration process to bring the two parties closer together. Initial investments include mental health infrastructure, virtual care network development, facility expansion and workforce expansion.

4. “WakeMed and Atrium Health are united in a shared commitment to serving our communities,  and by building upon our complementary strengths, we can have an even greater impact on the health and well-being of Wake County and the entire state,” Donald Gintzig, president and CEO  of WakeMed, said in the release.

5. Atrium Health comprises Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center — an academic medical center in Charlotte that includes Levine Children’s Hospital, Levine Cancer Institute, and Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute — along with 11 hospitals, more than 900 care locations and more than 1,400 physicians across the greater Charlotte region.

6. WakeMed Health & Hospitals comprises a 973-bed network of facilities, including three full-service hospitals, a mental health and well-being hospital, eight emergency departments, a dedicated Children’s Hospital and Rehabilitation Hospital, two trauma centers, and more than 175 physician and physical therapy practice offices. The nonprofit system’s team includes more than 12,800 employees, 1,300 volunteers and 1,300 affiliated physicians, along with a network of more than 900 primary care and specialty providers through WakeMed Physician Practices.

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