(The Center Square) – Commissioners of a North Carolina county got immediate resistance from two members of the Council of State following a signal of intent to effectively approve the takeover of WakeMed by Atrium Health.
In Monday evening’s meeting agenda, a consent agenda item is entitled, “WakeMed Board of Directors Amendment to WakeMed’s Articles of Incorporation and Second Amendment to Transfer Agreement.” Published reports, and comments from key people on social media, indicate that item may well fall off the consent agenda and not have an immediate separate action.
Monday morning, the agenda remained unchanged. First-term Republican state Treasurer Brad Briner said Saturday evening he’s obtained confirmation the vote will be delayed.
In his initial reaction Friday, Briner said, “There is a simple business principle that when suppliers consolidate and competition is reduced it is the consumers who suffer. This has been proven to be true time and again in the healthcare landscape, where prices continue to rise and patients are left with mounting medical debt.
“I look forward to the attorney general and FTC carefully scrutinizing this proposal and what it could mean for the people across our state. If history is any guide, this merger will not benefit the public.”
FTC is the acronym for the Federal Trade Commission.
Briner and first-term Republican state Auditor Dave Boliek each sent separate correspondence to the Wake commissioners.
Boliek wrote in part, “The announcement of the transaction was only made public on Friday afternoon. The people of Wake County and stakeholders who are affected by this move deserve to have more than a weekend to voice their opinions on a hospital takeover of this scale. Whether you support this transaction or not, taxpayers deserve full transparency from their government.”
WakeMed is a nonprofit headquartered in Wake County since 1961. It has more than 900 beds, three acute care hospitals, a rehabilitation hospital, mental health hospital and eight emergency departments. The main campuses are in Raleigh and Cary. The network employes an estimated 8,200 and affiliates with about 1,200 physicians.
Atrium is headquartered in Charlotte, is third largest of nonprofit hospitals in the nation, and operates 900 locations across the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama. The network employs more than 150,000 and has been recognized for its work in cardiology at the Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute in Concord, cancer care at the Levine Center in Charlotte, and pediatrics at the Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte.
State Rep. Mike Schietzelt, R-Wake, wrote on social media he was also advised no vote would be taken Monday.
Duke University Hospital, UNC Medical Center and Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center are industry leaders in the state. WakeMed stands to gain more access to clinical trials and capital with the partnership, such as new equipment and improved facilities.
“Our office seeks to make North Carolina a model for effective, efficient, and transparent governance,” Boliek said. “The rollout of the proposed hospital takeover raises questions. The lack of transparency does not instill confidence, in fact, it calls for greater scrutiny and explanation. In the interest of the people of Wake County and all of the citizens in North Carolina, the vote to approve WakeMed’s amended articles of incorporation, currently scheduled for May 4, 2026, should be delayed, and I applaud any decision to delay this vote.”
