Carolinas HealthCare System is bigger locally, and owns Carolinas Medical Center, Mercy Hospital, University Hospital and Mercy South in Pineville. Novant Health's Presbyterian Healthcare owns Presbyterian Hospital, Presbyterian Orthopaedic Hospital and Presbyterian Matthews. Both organizations also own medical offices and a variety of other health-care businesses. CHS, a public hospital authority, owns and manages hospitals from Charleston to the N.C. mountains.
Most specialists remain in independent medical practices.
Lake Norman picked the location in part to take advantage of the fast-growing population in and around Huntersville. Presbyterian, CHS and Lake Norman are competing for the loyalties of patients by expanding medical offices in the area or affiliating with medical groups there. The company needs the approval of state regulators, however. They have already turned the proposal down once, but Presbyterian has reapplied. If the hospital is eventually approved, it would be several years, at least, before it opened.