Reviewed 2026-07-02

WATAUGA MEDICAL CENTER, INC

Ownership, control, relationships, and source records for WATAUGA MEDICAL CENTER, INC.

Ownership receipt

What we can say clearly

WATAUGA MEDICAL CENTER, INC is marked as a corporate-chain case. That is separate from direct private-equity ownership, but it still belongs in the red corporate-control color family.

Finding: Corporate-chain ownership/accountability warning
Last reviewed: 2026-07-02
Evidence: 8 cited sources

Documented warningPart of a corporate hospital chain

WATAUGA MEDICAL CENTER, INC has a completed North Carolina state-template dossier baseline with official identity, CMS enrollment/owner context when matched, CMS Care Compare point-in-time context when matched, HCRIS financial/utilization context when matched, and explicit limitations for missing fields. Unsupported ownership, compensation, labor, quality-trend, or causation claims are not inferred.

Corporate-chain ownership/accountability warning
Last verified Jun 2026

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Key sources

CMS owners

Financial assistance help

Bill Reduction Available

Dollar For lists this facility for hospital bill assistance. Eligibility depends on the hospital policy and patient circumstances.

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Control Map

This leads to this

Hospital ownership/control path

Appalachian Regional Healthcare SystemHealth systemWATAUGA MEDICAL CENTER, INC

Evidence limits

Red color requiredCMS enrollment match used where available15 ownership sources checked8 total sources below

Direct PE ownershipNot documented as direct PE ownership in this state-template pass

PE relationshipNo documented PE link in current baseline sources

OperatorAppalachian Regional Healthcare System

Population servedNeeds system/facility catchment estimate

WATAUGA MEDICAL CENTER, INC is connected to Appalachian Regional Healthcare System. No public-company shareholder layer was found in this pass. Institutional shareholder names are context only and do not override facility-level ownership evidence.

Review Note

Why this page is published

completed state-template official-source baseline

Publish state-template completion fields while preserving explicit unavailable/searched-not-found limitations.

Ownership & Control

Detailed records, kept below the answer

Facility legal owner, operator, parent company, ultimate controller, PE sponsor, and institutional shareholder context are separate evidence layers.

See the full ownership chain

controlsWATAUGA MEDICAL CENTER, INC → WATAUGA MEDICAL CENTER, INC

WATAUGA MEDICAL CENTER INC is the best available legal-owner or enrolled-operator layer for WATAUGA MEDICAL CENTER, INC.

operatesAppalachian Regional Healthcare System → WATAUGA MEDICAL CENTER, INC

Appalachian Regional Healthcare System is shown as the operator or parent-system layer for this facility.

Institutional shareholders such as Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street are context nodes only; they are not hospital operators unless direct control evidence is found.
CMS owner rows identify enrolled owner/control roles but may not name every ultimate financial sponsor.
Sibling/system affiliation does not cause a facility to inherit another hospital’s red status.

Connections

Who owns, backs, staffs, or connects to this facility

Legal-owner layerWATAUGA MEDICAL CENTER INCFacility legal owner / enrollment layer · legal owner or enrolled operator

WATAUGA MEDICAL CENTER INC is shown separately from the parent system and ultimate financial/control context.

Operator layerAppalachian Regional Healthcare SystemHospital operator or parent system · operator / parent-system context

This connection identifies the operating or system layer used for the public map and dossier.

System Thread

Connected facilities and system family

APPALACHIAN REGIONAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCAREAppalachian Regional Healthcare System · LINVILLE, NC · connected NC facility
CHARLES A. CANNON JR. MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, INCORPORATEDAppalachian Regional Healthcare System · LINVILLE, NC · connected NC facility
WATAUGA MEDICAL CENTER, INCAppalachian Regional Healthcare System · BOONE, NC · current record

Timeline

Ownership history and events

Current / undated
controls
WATAUGA MEDICAL CENTER INC is the best available legal-owner or enrolled-operator layer for WATAUGA MEDICAL CENTER, INC.
Current / undated
operates
Appalachian Regional Healthcare System is shown as the operator or parent-system layer for this facility.
06/01/2004
cms owner context
CMS Hospital All Owners rows are attached as current owner/control context. They do not by themselves prove private-equity sponsorship unless the row says so or another cited source supports it.
Current / undated
operates
State-template baseline operator/owner context assembled from current hospital fields and matched official sources where available. This is not a new PE ownership claim.

Metrics

Financial and utilization series

Metric	Period	Value	Method note
net patient revenue	07/01/2023 to 06/30/2024	$205,534,057	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
net patient revenue	10/01/2022 to 06/30/2023	$131,671,678	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
net patient revenue	10/01/2021 to 09/30/2022	$187,289,833	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
net patient revenue	10/01/2020 to 09/30/2021	$180,524,875	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
operating expense	07/01/2023 to 06/30/2024	$207,390,442	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
operating expense	10/01/2022 to 06/30/2023	$144,274,142	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
operating expense	10/01/2021 to 09/30/2022	$182,818,047	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
operating expense	10/01/2020 to 09/30/2021	$164,126,776	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
net income	07/01/2023 to 06/30/2024	$9,065,828	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
net income	10/01/2022 to 06/30/2023	-$9,653,967	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
net income	10/01/2021 to 09/30/2022	-$915,860	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
net income	10/01/2020 to 09/30/2021	$29,983,934	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
total assets	07/01/2023 to 06/30/2024	$350,534,256	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
total assets	10/01/2022 to 06/30/2023	$341,982,332	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
total assets	10/01/2021 to 09/30/2022	$355,861,227	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
total assets	10/01/2020 to 09/30/2021	$374,751,449	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
total liabilities	07/01/2023 to 06/30/2024	$163,406,498	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
total liabilities	10/01/2022 to 06/30/2023	$163,662,371	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
total liabilities	10/01/2021 to 09/30/2022	$167,887,299	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
total liabilities	10/01/2020 to 09/30/2021	$185,859,299	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
contract labor direct patient care	07/01/2023 to 06/30/2024	$11,930,699	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
contract labor direct patient care	10/01/2022 to 06/30/2023	$8,946,145	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
contract labor direct patient care	10/01/2021 to 09/30/2022	$11,685,230	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
contract labor direct patient care	10/01/2020 to 09/30/2021	$3,273,964	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
fte employees	07/01/2023 to 06/30/2024	682 FTE	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
fte employees	10/01/2022 to 06/30/2023	672.51 FTE	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
fte employees	10/01/2021 to 09/30/2022	628.52 FTE	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
fte employees	10/01/2020 to 09/30/2021	634 FTE	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
beds	07/01/2023 to 06/30/2024	121 beds	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
beds	10/01/2022 to 06/30/2023	121 beds	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
beds	10/01/2021 to 09/30/2022	95 beds	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
beds	10/01/2020 to 09/30/2021	95 beds	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
patient days	07/01/2023 to 06/30/2024	17,655 days	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
patient days	10/01/2022 to 06/30/2023	12,976 days	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
patient days	10/01/2021 to 09/30/2022	18,796 days	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
patient days	10/01/2020 to 09/30/2021	16,644 days	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
discharges	07/01/2023 to 06/30/2024	4,452 discharges	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
discharges	10/01/2022 to 06/30/2023	2,973 discharges	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
discharges	10/01/2021 to 09/30/2022	3,784 discharges	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.
discharges	10/01/2020 to 09/30/2021	3,964 discharges	Hospital Provider Cost Report value. Compare only like fields and compatible fiscal periods; no causal inference is implied.

Evidence Notes

Contradictions, limitations, and unavailable fields

Open evidence notes

Limitation

This automated NC pass searched mandatory official/source systems and records missing items; it does not claim the entire internet was exhausted.

Limitation

This five-state template completion pass used official cached CMS/HIFLD/PESP/HCRIS sources and records missing items; it does not claim the entire internet was exhausted.

Unavailable

source-backed CEO/current leader

Unavailable

source-backed local CEO/current leader

Unavailable

official CEO image URL

Unavailable

facility-level CEO compensation amount

Direct connection

Legal/enrollment layer: WATAUGA MEDICAL CENTER INC.

Direct connection

Operator layer: Appalachian Regional Healthcare System.

Direct connection

Ultimate parent/controller context: Appalachian Regional Healthcare System.

Direct connection

Operator/owner context: Appalachian Regional Healthcare System.

Direct connection

CMS Care Compare ownership category: Government - Local.

Download

Take the evidence with you

CSVEvidence CSV — every source with dates and URLsSpreadsheet-friendly source audit for this hospital JSONFull evidence file JSONComplete structured evidence file exactly as published

Sources

Evidence and source documents

governmentHospitals RAPTHomeland Infrastructure Foundation-Level Data governmentNorth Carolina hospital license dataNorth Carolina Division of Health Service Regulation governmentHospital EnrollmentsCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services governmentHospital All OwnersCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services governmentHospital General InformationCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services governmentHospital Provider Cost ReportsCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services