Virginia State Health Commissioner Marissa Levine, MD, agreed to delay issuing a decision on the proposed merger between Kingsport, Tenn.-based Wellmont Health System and Johnson City, Tenn.-based Mountain States Health Alliance until the end of the month, according to WCYB-5 News.
Officials from Wellmont and MSHA reportedly requested the delay, stating "they could not avoid it in submitting final information to the commissioner," according to the report. However, public documents regarding the request for a delay reportedly did not reveal any details about the additional information.
The Virginia Health Commission previously said it would issue a decision on the proposed transaction Sept. 15, while the Tennessee Department of Health previously said it would release its decision Sept. 19.
It is unclear if the Virginia state health commissioner's delay will impact the Tennessee health department's timeline to release its decision.
Wellmont Health and MSHA's proposed merger has awaited regulatory approval since 2014.