Two new hospitals in Wake County, including a new behavioral health hospital, received regulatory approval. When the dust settles on any appeals, it would mean one of the fastest expansions of new hospitals in the county's history.
WakMed was approved to add a hospital with two operating rooms in Garner, near where it currently operates a free-standing emergency department off US-70. WakeMed was also approved for a new 150-bed behavioral health hospital to be developed in Knightdale.
"For the past 61 years, WakeMed has been committed to caring for our growing community — and we are excited about the opportunity to expand our services to better serve our patients and their families," Donald Gintzig, WakeMed president and CEO, said in a statement.
Duke Health, which is building a new 40-bed hospital off Green Level Road in west Cary, received approval for 18 new acute care beds at Duke Raleigh. In addition, UNC/Rex Hospital was approved for 18 new acute care beds, bringing the total to 457 beds at the hospital just outside the beltline in west Raleigh.
North Carolina is what is known as a Certificate of Need state, meaning health services here are tightly regulated — health systems can't just open a new hospital, and they first need approval in the form of a Certificate of Need, or CON. Last year, hospitals in Wake County could apply for up to 45 new acute care beds, the backbone of any hospital, and two new operating rooms. WakeMed applied for some of the beds and proposed moving other bed licenses from their hospitals in Raleigh to complete new hospitals. UNC/Rex applied to add beds in Raleigh and Holly Springs. Four outpatient surgery groups applied for the two operating rooms.
Regulators divvied up the new beds between the three major health systems, but awarded both operating rooms to WakeMed, a major regulatory victory for that health system. KM Surgery Center, Oakview ASC, Triangle Vascular Care, and Duke Health Green Level Ambulatory Surgical Center all applied for those operating rooms as well, but were denied.
Regulatory approvals come from the N.C. Division of Health Service Regulation, part of Department of Health and Human Services. These services are highly sought after and groups that lost will almost certainly appeal those denials. Hospital executives generally don't comment on project specifics before the appeals process plays out.
The new WakeMed hospital in Garner will draw special scrutiny from UNC Health. It sits geographically between UNC Johnston and UNC Holly Springs and will compete for patients in much of southern Wake County.
In a statement, UNC Health says it is pleased with the new beds. "However, given the projected increases in demand, we still believe that additional beds and operating rooms are needed at our Raleigh and Holly Springs hospitals – and offer the most cost-effective option."
Duke Green Level is located just west of the I-540 beltline and will compete for patients in one of the fastest growing parts of the state.
Approvals:
- WakeMed Behavioral Health Center, $137 million
- WakeMed Garner Hospital, $214 million
- UNC/Rex Hospital 18 new beds, $8.3 million
- Duke Raleigh 18 new beds, $2.5 million
Correction: Previously, this story incorrectly said Duke Health was getting a new hospital license.
