Approximately 1.2 million people in northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia, 70% of them on governmental insurance like Medicare, Medicaid, & TriCare, have no choice for their inpatient care. 

Ballad Health owns every hospital in the region. They are also the largest employer in the region. So not only are patients tremendously limited in their options for acute or emergent care, healthcare professionals are also held hostage by their duty to provide safe, appropriate care and their livelihood. 

The three tertiary hospitals, Johnson City Medical Center, Holston Valley Medical Center, and Bristol Regional, have all declined in their overall quality of care according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicare. These hospitals were 3 and 4 star rated facilities just five years ago. Today, they are two and one stars per the Fall 2022 star ratings by CMS. 

We must take action now before these hospitals, their employees, and their patients are negatively impacted beyond repair. 

The legislation that created Ballad Health, called a Certificate of Public Advantage, is contingent upon the healthcare system’s benefits outweighing the disadvantages. Many believe the disadvantages have long outweighed the benefits and these latest CMS Quality ratings support that claim. 

Sign this petition today and get the Tennessee Health Department, Virginia Department of Health, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, and the FTC to step in and take action against the medical monopoly for the benefit of the residents in the region.