Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health, Charlotte-based Carolina Center for Specialty Surgery and Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health are racing to fill the state's need for six additional operating rooms in Mecklenburg County, according to the Charlotte Business Journal.
Here are five things to know:
1. In its 2018 State Medical Facilities Plan, North Carolina officials outlined the need for six more ORs in Mecklenburg County in 2020, based on projected patient needs.
2. Atrium has proposed adding five ORs — four at Carolinas Medical Center and one at Carolinas HealthCare System Pineville, both in Charlotte. The projects, for which Atrium submitted certificate-of-need applications in October, are expected to cost $15 million and $2.8 million, respectively, and will be completed in 2020.
3. However, Novant Health filed a competing application for an OR at Novant Health Huntersville (N.C.) Medical Center as part of its $7.1 million expansion plan at the hospital. The expansion would also add 12 obstetric acute care beds at the facility.
4. Both Atrium and Novant Health have noted the need to expand their Charlotte-area facilities as the area's population continues to grow, according to the report.
5. Along with Novant Health and Atrium, Charlotte-based Carolina Center for Specialty Surgery has also filed an application for an additional OR at its Charlotte facility, bringing the total number of ORs to three. The proposed project is expected to cost $1.9 million, the report states.
To access the full report, click here.