Major medical deal you probably didn't know about

HICKORY, N.C. — LifePoint Health owns multiple hospitals across North Carolina, including Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory.

The company is publicly traded and according to a watchdog group, its "business has stalled."

Revenue is down and debt is up, so LifePoint is merging with RCCH HealthCare Partners.

RCCH is privately held and the combined company will be, too.

UNC Charlotte health professor Michael Thompson said the deal could be good for patients.

RCCH should inject more money into the system without shareholders expecting immediate profits, but Thompson worries about transparency and accountability.

He told Action 9, "At a consumer level, you're more concerned about the community's needs being met, your individual patient needs being met, your ability to access the services that you can afford when you need them.”

Many patients are still unaware of the merger.

"As long as the end result is the patient being taken care of with the utmost care and certainty of their well-being, then it can't be a bad thing, but I guess we won't know until they take over and we start to see changes either for the better or for the worse," Hickory resident Katye Fredieu said. "I think the patients' well-being has to be number one and, as long as this new merging takes care of that, I think most people will be happy."

Action 9 asked both companies for interviews. Officials with RCCH didn't respond.

LifePoint officials said no but sent a statement saying the companies are committed to "ensuring that non-urban communities have access to quality care, close to home."

They also promise growth and high-quality patient care.

The companies are expected to finalize the merger this month. Shareholders vote Oct. 29.

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