Atrium Health and Wake Forest University still are waiting to hear from federal regulators on a proposed partnership that would bring a new four-year medical school -- the city's first -- to Charlotte.
Atrium President and CEO Gene Woods said at a board meeting Tuesday that the hospital had hoped to receive a response from the Federal Trade Commission in early 2020, but said it will now likely take a few more months.
Atrium and Wake Forest announced the planned four-year medical school in April 2019, though did not specify where it would be located.
Under federal antitrust law, the FTC and the Department of Justice are required to review most proposed business deals valued at more than $94 million. The FTC said it does not comment on proposed mergers.
The Charlotte area is the largest metro area in the country without a medical school. North Carolina currently has five medical schools: in Chapel Hill, Durham, Greenville, Winston-Salem and a school of osteopathic medicine at Campbell University in Harnett County.
For now, Charlotte currently has just medical training programs, such as UNC School of Medicine in Chapel Hill's satellite campus in the city, which is under a partnership with Atrium.
