Hospital officials expect the merger to close sometime before Jan. 31, at which time the Tennessee Department of Health will grant the merged system, to be called Ballad Health, a Certificate of Public Advantage that protects it from antitrust scrutiny.

Early during the process, hospital executives Alan Levine and Bart Hove said they reached an agreement with FTC officials that, if the merger was approved in Virginia and Tennessee, the deal would not close until the FTC cordially conducted a 30-day review.

Tennessee approved its Certificate of Public Advantage in September, followed by Virginia Department of Health Commissioner Marissa Levine approving a Cooperative Agreement on Oct. 30, the day the FTC review commenced.

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