Merged Appalachian hospitals form monopoly, leading to increased ER wait times.

After Appalachian hospitals merged into a monopoly, emergency room wait times increased significantly. Bristol Regional Medical Center in Virginia, one of the merged hospitals, faced long ER waits, with City Council member Neal Osborne experiencing a 30-hour stay in the ER after his insulin pump malfunctioned. Residents in the area have reported similar experiences, attributing the slowdown to the monopoly created by the hospital merger.