“In total, the council member was in the ER for about 30 hours, he said.”
Tennessee and Virginia waived anti-monopoly law in 2018 so 20 hospitals could merge into Ballad Health. Admitted patients now spend a median of nearly 11 hours in its ERs, against 5 hours 41 minutes at hospitals reporting to the Joint Commission. The Tennessee health department still certifies every year that the monopoly “continues to provide a Public Advantage.” Ballad brags that few patients leave without treatment. They have nowhere else to go.