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1 week ago | 
northcarolinahealthnews.org | Michelle Crouch |Charlotte Ledger
If you’ve ever been hit with a slew of confusing bills after a hospital stay, had a long wait for an insurance approval or struggled to pay an unexpectedly high medical bill, you know how frustrating health care in North Carolina can be.
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2 weeks ago | 
northcarolinahealthnews.org | Michelle Crouch |Charlotte Ledger
The Charlotte LedgerWhen 6-year-old Mackenzie Conlon was hospitalized with the flu at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital in February, all she wanted was to go home, her mother, Stephanie Conlon, said. Mackenzie, who has complex medical needs due to cerebral palsy, had been fighting high fevers, dehydration and pain so intense her constant crying left her nearly voiceless. Conlon, 46, said she would watch helplessly when her daughter pointed at the hospital door in a plea to leave.
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3 weeks ago | 
northcarolinahealthnews.org | Michelle Crouch |Charlotte Ledger
If you work for a large company, you probably have a 401(k) or a similar program that allows you to automatically deduct money from your paycheck to save for retirement. You may even get a match from your employer. But about half of North Carolina’s private sector employees – more than 1.8 million people – don’t have a way to save for retirement through their jobs, according to an AARP analysis.
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1 month ago | 
wfae.org | Tony Mecia |Charlotte Ledger
The opening of new lanes on a 17-mile section of I-485 in southern Mecklenburg has been delayed yet again, with the N.C. Department of Transportation saying it now expects them to open by “late 2025” or “winter 2025.”The department had said last year that it anticipated opening the lanes by “late summer” 2025, so the new timeline represents a delay of at least several months. The project has been under construction since 2019. The original forecast called for it to be completed by 2022.
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1 month ago | 
northcarolinahealthnews.org | Michelle Crouch |Charlotte Ledger
The Charlotte LedgerA lawsuit filed earlier this month seeks to stop Atrium Health from taking control of organ donation services at partner hospital Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem. For 40 years, Wake Forest Baptist relied on HonorBridge, an independent organ procurement organization that serves 75 percent of North Carolina, to handle the hospital’s life-saving organ donations and get them to transplant recipients.
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2 months ago | 
northcarolinahealthnews.org | Michelle Crouch |Charlotte Ledger
Co-published with The Charlotte Ledger Atrium Health received a $45 million sales tax refund from North Carolina in 2023 and 2024, hitting a statutory limit allowed by the state for nonprofits, tax records reviewed by The Charlotte Ledger/NC Health News show. And that may not even be the full amount. Thanks to a legal loophole, the hospital system’s total refund is likely even higher.
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Feb 7, 2025 | 
northcarolinahealthnews.org | Michelle Crouch |Charlotte Ledger
Co-published with The Charlotte Ledger Teachers and state workers have long counted on better-than-average health benefits to help make up for the lower pay and demands of their government jobs. But some say it feels like that once-reliable perk is slipping away. Just days into his tenure, newly elected State Treasurer Brad Briner warned that rising health care costs could drive up premiums for the State Health Plan in 2026.
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Jan 17, 2025 | 
northcarolinahealthnews.org | Michelle Crouch |Charlotte Ledger
Co-published with The Charlotte Ledger OrthoCarolina, one of the nation’s largest independently owned orthopedic practices, is close to a deal to sell its physical therapy business to PT Solutions Physical Therapy, an Atlanta-based company backed by private equity, the Charlotte Ledger/NC Health News has learned. OrthoCarolina CEO and orthopedic surgeon Leo Spector declined to confirm specifics on Thursday, but he acknowledged that the company expects to announce a sale in the next few weeks.
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Jan 15, 2025 | 
northcarolinahealthnews.org | Michelle Crouch |Charlotte Ledger
Co-published with The Charlotte Ledger When Mominul Mahim’s daughter needed a refill of her eczema medication, the Huntersville dad made the request through Novant Health’s MyChart app, which connects him to his daughter’s medical record and to the clinic. He assumed the process would be cost-free and easy, since the app has a notice that says refill requests between visits are free. Weeks later, Mahim was shocked when he received a bill for $41.
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Jan 7, 2025 | 
northcarolinahealthnews.org | Emily Vespa |Michelle Crouch |Charlotte Ledger
Co-published with The Charlotte LedgerFaced with a growing health care worker shortage and provider burnout, some North Carolina health care leaders have said there is great promise in artificial intelligence systems. The state’s health care systems have been early adopters of AI tools — overt and invisible — that are shaping the patient and provider experience. Across North Carolina, AI is helping providers predict health risks, communicate with patients and manage administrative tasks.
