Ballad Health
Healthcare company based in Tennessee, US
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ballad Health is a chain of hospitals headquartered in Johnson City, Tennessee.[2] It includes 20 hospitals, including Niswonger Children's Hospital and Woodridge Psychiatric Hospital, and numerous outpatient facilities in Tennessee and Virginia including urgent care centers and primary care locations.[3] They operate a blood bank named Marsh Regional Blood Center.[4] The healthcare system's website states that its service area includes 29 counties, some of which are in Kentucky and North Carolina.[5]
| |
| Formerly | Wellmont Health Systems/Mountain States Health Alliance |
|---|---|
| Industry | Health care |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Headquarters | 408 N State of Franklin Rd., Johnson City, Tennessee, |
Area served | Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky |
Number of employees | 13,800[1] |
| Website | www |
In 2018 Ballad was formed through a Certificate of Public Advantage (COPA) by the State of Tennessee (and a Cooperative Agreement in Virginia) which allowed for the merger of Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System.[6] The Federal Trade Commission opposed the merger.[7]
The current chairman, president, and CEO of Ballad Health is Alan Levine.[8] Levine's total compensation for 2024 was $2,247,795.[9] Prior to acting as CEO, Levine was secretary for Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration under governor Jeb Bush[10] and secretary of Louisiana's Department of Health and Hospitals for governor Bobby Jindal.[11] He also co-chaired the healthcare transition team for former Florida governor (and now senator) Rick Scott.[12]
Under the COPA, Ballad has closed or converted several rural facilities with approval from the Tennessee and Virginia departments of health.[13] Some community members and local officials have expressed concerns about the consolidation of facilities.[14] In December 2025, S&P Global revised Ballad Health's credit outlook to positive.[15]
History
Ballad Health was created in 2018 when Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health Systems agreed to merge together through the issuance of a certificate of public advantage (COPA) in Tennessee and a cooperative agreement in Virginia.[16]
Lee County Community Hospital, which had closed in 2013, was reopened by Ballad Health in July 2021.[17]
Dennis Barry, a monitor for the Southwest Virginia Health Authority, stated that the Ballad merger may have prevented many Virginians from losing health care during the COVID-19 pandemic.[18]
In 2022, Ballad Health launched a virtual urgent care option.[19]
Ballad Health reported a $40 million net operating loss for discal year 2023, its first annual operating loss since the merger.[20]