Durham, N.C.-based Duke Health and Chapel Hill-based University of North Carolina Health are competing to add beds in the state, WUNC reported April 25.
Duke wants to add 68 beds, the total the area needs, to its main hospital in Durham. UNC Health is proposing 34 additional beds to a hospital it's planning in Research Triangle Park, UNC Hospitals-RTP.
The Division of Health Services Regulation of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services can give partial approvals, meaning both systems could be approved for beds within the total 68 needed, according to the report.
UNC Hospitals-RTP was approved for 40 beds and two operating rooms, but Duke University Hospital also competed for those beds and operating rooms. Duke appealed in October and will hear the decision this summer.
With the additional 34 beds, the UNC Hospitals-RTP project is expected to cost $279 million — because it would be a brand new facility — while Duke's proposal would cost $4.8 million.
"Duke University Health System has a critical need for additional bed capacity as outlined in the CON application," Monte Brown, MD, vice president of administration and secretary for Duke University Health System told the station. "We look forward to the state's review of our application."
"Given the continued growth in the community and the importance of meeting projected healthcare needs, we are proposing to expand the facility from 40 beds to a total of 74 beds," UNC's statement to WUNC read. "UNC Health's new hospital will provide excellent care for all patients in our growing community and beyond for generations to come."