If the vote passes and regulators sign off, the merger would create one of the largest health care networks in the state.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Wake County Board of Commissioners will vote May 4 on whether to allow WakeMed and Atrium Health to begin the process of combining into one health system. If the vote passes and regulators sign off, the merger would create one of the largest health care networks in the state.
The organizations say the deal would bring a $2 billion investment to Wake County, generating more than 3,300 new health care jobs over five years in areas spanning clinical care, research, and education.
What the merger could mean for patients
Proponents say the combination would expand access to specialty services in cancer care, neurosciences, and pediatric care, while establishing what they describe as North Carolina’s largest virtual care network — adding at least 100,000 new virtual visits annually. Financial assistance eligibility for WakeMed patients would also expand, rising from 300% to 400% of the federal poverty level.
Mental health care is another focal point. The merged system would create the state’s largest nonprofit behavioral health network, with more than 360 inpatient beds dedicated to mental health treatment.
The deal also calls for physical expansion, including redevelopment of WakeMed’s Raleigh Campus, growth at Cary and North hospitals, and two new Healthplex locations offering emergency and outpatient services.
North Carolina Treasurer Brad Briner raised concerns about the proposal, warning that reduced competition typically harms consumers.
“There is a simple business principle that when suppliers consolidate and competition is reduced it is the consumers who suffer,” Briner said, adding that health care mergers have historically driven up prices and left patients with mounting medical debt.
He called on the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission to carefully scrutinize the proposal.
Both organizations’ boards have already approved the combination. Following Monday’s county vote, the proposal will undergo regulatory review over the coming months before any formal integration begins.
Atrium Health is part of Advocate Health, the nation’s third-largest nonprofit academic health system.