Ballad Health

Ballad Health is a chain of hospitals headquartered in Johnson City, Tennessee.[1] It includes facilities in Tennessee, and Virginia.

Ballad Health
IndustryHealth care
Founded2018
Headquarters408 N State of Franklin Rd., Johnson City, Tennessee,
United States
Area served
Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky
Number of employees
3,785
Websitewww.balladhealth.org

The healthcare system's website states that its service area includes 29 counties, some of which are in Kentucky and North Carolina.[2]

History

It was created in 2018, when Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health Systems agreed to merge together. Due to the merger, it became the sole hospital organization in sections of the Appalachia region.[3] The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had reservations about the merger as portions of Appalachia would only have a single healthcare provider.[4] However the company merged without FTC approval because the Tennessee Attorney General and the Tennessee Department of Health gave clearance for the hospital systems to merge under a Tennessee state law passed in 2015 that allowed hospital merges to occur if the systems could get a "certificate of public advantage" or COPA clearance, arguing that a merged hospital system could work if the area people had greater advantages under a merge despite fewer competing hospital options.[3] Ballad also got a COPA in Virginia, which required it to keep its existing Virginia hospitals open.[5]

In 2019 Ballad announced plans to reduce Level I care and NICU services at Holston Valley Medical Center, sparking protests.[6]

Lee County Hospital was scheduled to reopen on July 1, 2021. In October 2019 Ballad's urgent care center in Lee County began operations.[5]

Dennis Barry, who consulted for the Southwest Virginia Health Authority as a monitor, stated that the Ballad merger meant that healthcare access in portions of Virginia did not collapse during the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

Leadership

Alan Levine is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Ballad Health. Prior to assuming his role with Ballad Health, he worked in several healthcare-related organizations throughout the southeast. He is most notably remembered for his work with Health Management Associates in Broward Co., FL which was featured on 60 Minutes in a story called "The Cost of Admission" which explored the excessive greed of the for-profit company who pressured physicians to admit more and more patients without regard to medical need in order to increase profits]. The entire episode can be watched here. Mr. Levine has continued to cause controversy over seemingly unethical practices since coming to Ballad Health. Community resistance has been loud and visible, but he has managed to obtain the loyalty and support of many regional leaders.

Service area

The system's official service area includes the following counties in the Appalachia Highlands:[8]

Hospitals
Tennessee
  • Bristol Regional Medical Center (Bristol)
  • Franklin Woods Community Hospital (Johnson City)
  • Greeneville Community Hospital (Greeneville)
  • Hancock County Hospital (Sneedville)
  • Hawkins County Memorial Hospital (Rogersville)
  • Holston Valley Medical Center (Kingsport)
  • Indian Path Community Hospital (Kingsport)
  • Johnson City Medical Center (Johnson City)
  • Johnson County Community Hospital (Mountain City)
  • Niswonger Children’s Hospital (Johnson City)
  • Sycamore Shoals Hospital (Elizabethton)
  • Unicoi County Hospital (Erwin)
  • Woodridge Hospital (Johnson City)
Virginia

References
  1. Floyd, David (2021-04-25). "Ballad Health keeps eyes on mission during pandemic". Johnson City Press. Retrieved 2021-12-20. 303 Med Tech Parkway - The address is in Johnson City.
  2. "About Us". Ballad Health. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  3. Wadhwani, Anita (2019-06-23). "Medical monopoly in rural Appalachia: 6 things to know about the Ballad Health merger". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  4. Wadhwani, Anita (2019-06-23). "'Bad care and bad experiences': Appalachian hospital merger draws scrutiny at FTC meeting". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  5. Keeling, Jeff (2021-03-12). "Consultant to Va. oversight board: Without merger savings, Lee Co. Community Hospital may not have reopened". WJHL. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  6. Wadhwani, Anita (2019-06-23). "Medical monopoly: An unusual hospital merger in rural Appalachia leaves residents with few options". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  7. Rife, Luanne (2021-03-11). "Without Ballad merger, monitor says Virginians could have lost health care when they needed it most". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  8. "After four years of #BalladHealth, we are proud to serve approximately 1.2 million people across the @AppHighlands region. Every year, our commitment to expanding access to rural healthcare grows stronger". Ballad Health (official Twitter account). 2022-02-04. Retrieved 2022-06-22. - Closeup of the image
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