WSOC: Professor Michael Thompson Discusses Major Local Medical Merger

LifePoint Health owns multiple hospitals across North Carolina, including Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory. The company is publicly traded and according to a watchdog group, its “business has stalled.”

Revenue is down and debt is up, so LifePoint is merging with RCCH HealthCare Partners.

RCCH is privately held and the combined company will be, too.

UNC Charlotte health professor Michael Thompson said the deal could be good for patients.

RCCH should inject more money into the system without shareholders expecting immediate profits, but Thompson worries about transparency and accountability.

He told Action 9, “At a consumer level, you’re more concerned about the community’s needs being met, your individual patient needs being met, your ability to access the services that you can afford when you need them.”

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by: Jason Stoogenke, WSOC