Healthcare Insights
Top 25 hospitals in North Carolina by net patient revenue
Home to nearly 10.7 million people, North Carolina is the ninth-most populous state in the U.S. Residents have access to nearly 200 hospitals and 26 integrated delivery networks (IDNs), according to Definitive Healthcare data. The state has some of the most consolidated hospital markets in the country, meaning most hospitals belong to a large system.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of the top 25 hospitals in North Carolina based on 2021 net patient revenue (NPR) using HospitalView. NPR is the amount of money generated from patient services from sources such as commercial insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare. It is a standard for measuring the financial performance of healthcare organizations.
| Rank | Hospital name | City | 2021 NPR | # of discharges | # of staffed beds | Explore dataset |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke University Hospital | Durham | $2,675,540,231 | 40,906 | 960 | Explore |
| 2 | Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center | Charlotte | $2,485,398,176 | 56,935 | 1,119 | Explore |
| 3 | UNC Medical Center (FKA University of North Carolina Hospitals - Memorial Hospital) | Chapel Hill | $2,361,574,427 | 32,909 | 809 | Explore |
| 4 | Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center | Winston Salem | $1,986,016,553 | 39,025 | 808 | Explore |
| 5 | Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center (FKA Forsyth Memorial Hospital) | Winston Salem | $1,554,471,513 | 35,071 | 912 | Explore |
| 6 | Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center (FKA Presbyterian Hospital) | Charlotte | $1,334,067,693 | 27,118 | 602 | Explore |
| 7 | Mission Hospital - Memorial Campus | Asheville | $1,267,230,070 | 43,795 | 733 | Explore |
| 8 | ECU Health Medical Center (FKA Vidant Medical Center) | Greenville | $1,238,027,840 | 39,794 | 847 | Explore |
| 9 | Cone Health Moses Cone Hospital (AKA Moses H Cone Memorial Hospital) | Greensboro | $1,220,416,231 | 42,593 | 536 | Explore |
| 10 | UNC Rex Hospital (FKA Rex Hospital) | Raleigh | $1,216,062,000 | 27,530 | 439 | Explore |
| 11 | Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center | Wilmington | $1,206,003,088 | 33,901 | 684 | Explore |
| 12 | WakeMed Raleigh Campus | Raleigh | $1,098,020,941 | 31,167 | 609 | Explore |
| 13 | Cape Fear Valley Medical Center | Fayetteville | $828,787,409 | 31,795 | 490 | Explore |
| 14 | FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital | Pinehurst | $777,631,182 | 21,914 | 412 | Explore |
| 15 | Atrium Health Cabarrus (FKA Carolinas HealthCare System NorthEast) | Concord | $740,539,454 | 27,471 | 447 | Explore |
| 16 | Duke Raleigh Hospital | Raleigh | $564,845,828 | 9,833 | 175 | Explore |
| 17 | CaroMont Regional Medical Center (AKA CaroMont Health) | Gastonia | $562,521,028 | 22,641 | 393 | Explore |
| 18 | Atrium Health Pineville (FKA Carolinas HealthCare System Pineville) | Charlotte | $543,916,624 | 17,339 | 154 | Explore |
| 19 | CarolinaEast Health System (AKA CarolinaEast Medical Center) | New Bern | $467,405,340 | 12,754 | 289 | Explore |
| 20 | Duke Regional Hospital (FKA Durham Regional Hospital) | Durham | $411,872,941 | 14,800 | 301 | Explore |
| 21 | Wake Forest Baptist Health - High Point Medical Center | High Point | $332,336,489 | 13,789 | 288 | Explore |
| 22 | Atrium Health Cleveland (FKA Carolinas HealthCare System Cleveland) | Shelby | $326,562,232 | 13,653 | 308 | Explore |
| 23 | Nash General Hospital | Rocky Mount | $322,840,236 | 11,799 | 322 | Explore |
| 24 | WakeMed Cary Hospital | Cary | $310,162,578 | 13,643 | 178 | Explore |
| 25 | Catawba Valley Medical Center | Hickory | $290,342,636 | 11,037 | 200 | Explore |
Fig. 1. Data is from Definitive Healthcare’s HospitalView product. Data is from the October 2022 Medicare Cost Report. Data is accurate as of December 2022.
Which hospital had the highest net patient revenue?
Nonprofit Duke University Hospital, part of Duke Health, had the highest net patient revenue (NPR) among hospitals in North Carolina in 2021, with nearly $2.68 billion. The hospital competes in the Durham-Chapel Hill area with two major systems: UNC Health and WakeMed Health and Hospitals.
Duke University Hospital is the flagship teaching hospital of Duke University Health System. It conducts a large amount of medical research and has a reputation as a high-quality healthcare provider. In 2022, Duke University Hospital was ranked the top hospital in North Carolina by U.S. News & World Report.
In second place is Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center – an academic medical center affiliated with Wake Forest School of Medicine – with $2.49 billion in NPR. The nonprofit hospital has the highest number of discharges (56,935) and staffed beds (1,119) in North Carolina.
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center is part of Advocate Health (formerly Atrium Health), one of the largest IDNs in the country and the dominant health system in the Charlotte market. Advocate Health emerged from the mega-merger between North Carolina-based Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health, which operates in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Rounding out the top three is the nonprofit UNC Medical Center, a nationally-ranked academic medical center in Chapel Hill. The hospital earned $2.36 billion in NPR for the hospital cost report period ending in June 2021. UNC Medical Center is affiliated with the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. It’s the second-best hospital in the state, according to U.S. News & World Report.
What is net patient revenue?
Net patient revenue (NPR) is the aggregate money generated from patient services collected from payors, including private insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare. Hospitals calculate their NPR to paint a clear picture of their financial strength, develop meaningful business strategies, and help ensure that all departments are adequately funded.
A hospital can calculate its net patient revenue by subtracting patient discounts from its total patient revenue. Metrics like contractual adjustments, charitable donations, foundation earnings, and bad debt are not included in these calculations.
Learn more
Healthcare Insights are developed with healthcare commercial intelligence from the Definitive Healthcare platform. Want even more insights? Start a free trial now and get access to the latest healthcare commercial intelligence on hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare providers.
You might also be interested in...
