Charlotte, N.C.-based Carolina NeuroSurgery & Spine Associates, one of the country’s largest independent neurosurgery practices, will officially join Atrium Health on Oct. 1.
Nearly 300 employees across seven Charlotte-area clinics will become part of the hospital system.
Here are five things to know:
1. Founded more than 80 years ago, CNSA is among the largest neurosurgery practices in the U.S. The group includes more than 70 physicians and advanced practice providers, offering services ranging from nonoperative care and minimally invasive outpatient procedures to highly complex surgical interventions.
2. Atrium Health and CNSA have worked together for decades on neurosurgery and spine care in the greater Charlotte area.
3. CNSA isn’t the first large physician practice Atrium has absorbed. The system, which operates under the corporate umbrella of Advocate Health, the nation’s third-largest nonprofit health system with $34.8 billion in annual revenue, has previously added Pediatric Surgical Associates and Georgia’s Harbin Clinic.
4. Hospital systems across North Carolina and the country are steadily absorbing independent practices. In recent years, UNC Health partnered with Blue Ridge Medical Group, Duke Health absorbed the Private Diagnostic Clinic, and Novant Health purchased UCI Medical Affiliates.
5. The number of physicians working in independent practice continues to shrink. In 2024, just 42% of U.S. physicians reported working in private practice, down from more than 60% in 2012, according to the American Medical Association.
