Start of Main Content

Healthcare Insights

Largest IDNs in North Carolina

North Carolina is the 10th largest state in the U.S. by population. There are nearly 200 hospitals in North Carolina and healthcare facilities tracked in our platform, many of which are part of a broader integrated delivery network (IDN), or health system.

Having a greater understanding of the IDNs in North Carolina can prove invaluable for your healthcare commercialization strategy. While there are many metrics concerning IDNs, two key ones include their size (based on their number of affiliated hospitals) and financial strength (based on their net patient revenue). Targeting large health systems allows for greater distribution of a product or service, and IDNs with high NPRs may be looking to upgrade or expand their services.

Using the Definitive Healthcare HospitalView product, we created lists of the highest-earning and largest IDNs in North Carolina.

North Carolina IDNs with the most hospitals

Rank NC IDN name City Definitive ID # of affiliated hospitals Net patient revenue # of staffed beds # of discharges Explore dataset 
Advocate Health Charlotte 1057655 70 $20,146,366,247  11,764 507,996 Explore
UNC Health (FKA UNC Health Care) Chapel Hill 274282 26 $7,025,364,424  3,871 145,790 Explore
Novant Health Winston Salem 4736 24 $5,809,072,619  3,754 141,980 Explore
Atrium Health (FKA Carolinas HealthCare System) Charlotte 4697 22 $6,059,954,023  3,489 161,535 Explore
ECU Health (FKA Vidant Health) Greenville 4905 10 $2,106,516,050  1,367 51,413 Explore
HCA North Carolina Division (AKA Mission Health System) Asheville 7226 10 $1,686,229,869  1,818 54,056 Explore
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist (FKA Wake Forest Baptist Health) Winston Salem 274053 $2,866,606,159  1,456 55,017 Explore
Cape Fear Valley Health System (FKA Cumberland County Hospital System) Fayetteville 274228 $1,182,818,119  825 44,128 Explore
VA Mid - Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6) Durham 541800 N/A1,188 N/AExplore
10 Cone Health (FKA Moses Cone Memorial Health) Greensboro 274268 $1,672,470,635  1,087 51,803 Explore

Fig. 1 Data is from the Definitive Healthcare HospitalView product. Data is aggregated from affiliated facilities based on data from the Medicare Cost Report and is displayed according to the most recent 12-month interval tracked in our database. Data accessed May 2024.

What North Carolina IDN has the most affiliated hospitals?

The North Carolina health system with the most hospitals is Advocate Health, with 70 hospitals. They are a faith-based nonprofit health system that has combined Advocate Health Care, Aurora Health Care of Wisconsin, and Atrium Health, bringing the networks of three IDNs under one system. This IDN spans six states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

The health system with the second most affiliated hospitals is UNC Health, with 26 hospitals. They are a not-for-profit organization owned by the State of North Carolina.

Novant Health has the third-highest number of hospitals, with 24 affiliated hospitals.

The IDNs with the most hospitals within their health system have large networks where a product or service can easily be distributed to numerous facilities. Knowing this, these large IDNs can be valuable targets for sales and marketing efforts.

North Carolina IDNs by net patient revenue

Rank NC IDN name City Definitive ID # of affiliated hospitals Net patient revenue # of staffed beds # of discharges Explore dataset 
Advocate Health Charlotte 1057655 70 $20,146,366,247  11,764 507,996 Explore
UNC Health (FKA UNC Health Care) Chapel Hill 274282 26 $7,025,364,424  3,871 145,790 Explore
Atrium Health (FKA Carolinas HealthCare System) Charlotte 4697 22 $6,059,954,023  3,489 161,535 Explore
Novant Health Winston Salem 4736 24 $5,809,072,619  3,754 141,980 Explore
Duke Health (AKA Duke University Health System) Durham 4707 $4,260,582,264  1,553 71,583 Explore
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist (FKA Wake Forest Baptist Health) Winston Salem 274053 $2,866,606,159  1,456 55,017 Explore
ECU Health (FKA Vidant Health) Greenville 4905 10 $2,106,516,050  1,367 51,413 Explore
HCA North Carolina Division (AKA Mission Health System) Asheville 7226 10 $1,686,229,869  1,818 54,056 Explore
WakeMed Health and Hospitals (AKA WakeMed) Raleigh 274058 $1,673,846,596  1,004 50,753 Explore
10 Cone Health (FKA Moses Cone Memorial Health) Greensboro 274268 $1,672,470,635  1,087 51,803 Explore

Fig. 2 Data is from the Definitive Healthcare HospitalView product. Data is aggregated from affiliated facilities based on data from the Medicare Cost Report and is displayed according to the most recent 12-month interval tracked in our database. Data accessed May 2024.

What North Carolina IDN has the highest net patient revenue (NPR)?

The IDN in North Carolina with the highest net patient revenue is Advocate Health, with an NPR of $20.1 billion. They are one of the top-performing IDNs in the US, based on NPR. This high NPR is thanks to its large number of staffed beds and discharges, which equates to more patients receiving care services and, as a result, bringing in more revenue.

The IDN with the second highest NPR in North Carolina is UNC Health, with an NPR of $7 billion. It is North Carolina’s largest academic health system and focuses on allowing its patients to receive care close to home.

Atrium Health IDN has the third-highest NPR in North Carolina, with an NPR of $6 billion. This IDN contains the Charlotte region’s best hospitals and the only hospitals in the Charlotte region that are nationally ranked for their care by U.S. News & World Report.

How can NPR guide IDN targeting in North Carolina?

Net patient revenue is the total amount of money generated from patient services after any deductions, including discounts and allowances, are removed. It is a common metric of an IDN’s financial strength because it shows which facilities have more cash coming in. From a marketing standpoint, NPR can indicate which IDNs have the means to expand their services or update their technology.

Still, even though NPR is a key indicator of an IDN’s financial strength, there are other metrics to consider for more targeted and effective sales conversations, such as prescription patterns, integration level, affiliations, and referrals. As such, anyone who is looking to sell into the North Carolina healthcare industry should understand the broad health system landscape in order to strategize and market in a way that converts leads to clients. Discover our top tips for how to sell to IDNs in a consolidating healthcare market.

Learn more

Healthcare Insights are created using data from the Definitive Healthcare platform. Want even more insights on hospitals in North Carolina? Begin a free trial now and get access to the latest healthcare commercial intelligence on hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare providers.