Moses Cone Hospital and Wesley Long Hospital are merging in Greensboro. Joseph's Health System. Columbia HCA, the giant health care corporation which owns over 300 health care facilities nationwide, owns 7 hospitals in North Carolina. Given DUMC's national recognition, the high patient census in Duke Hospital's, and the institution's financial stability, some employees may think that Duke is immune from national trends. In North Carolina, only about 55 percent of the state's licensed hospital beds are now being used.
Experts expect that figure to drop as managed care continues to grow throughout the state.
So now is the time to explore how to work together to blend our strengths in service areas. Both DUMC and DCHC have the same objectives in these talks, to provide the community with access to a diverse and economically viable health system. We are both interested in developing a comprehensive health system of the highest quality that can compete effectively with the other health systems that are emerging in our region. And we are both trying to do this in a way that preserves the strengths of each institution. Much work remains to be done if the two institutions are to enter into an agreement by the target date of early July.