Duke University Hospital

What Duke University Hospital does

Duke University Hospital is a full-service tertiary and quaternary care academic medical center located at 2301 Erwin Road in Durham, North Carolina, operated as the flagship hospital of Duke University Health System (DUHS), a non-profit entity wholly owned by Duke University and established in its current corporate form in 2004 with hospital operations dating to 1925. The hospital delivers advanced medical and surgical care across 11 adult specialties ranked nationally by U.S. News & World Report, anchored by NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center designation and a SNMMI-designated Comprehensive Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Center of Excellence. Adjacent clinical assets include Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center (nationally ranked in 10 pediatric specialties, ACS Level I Children's Surgery Center, Level IV NICU, ELSO Platinum Award, and the only Cardiac NICU in North Carolina), Duke Raleigh Hospital (a campus of Duke University Hospital), Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Primary Care (50+ clinic locations), Duke Health Integrated Practice (110+ ambulatory clinics), and Duke Specialty Pharmacy (URAC accredited). Technology stack is built on Epic, with Epic MyChart deployed as the My Duke Health patient portal (formerly Duke MyChart), Duke MedLink providing referring-physician EMR access, and Zoom-integrated telehealth for video and E-visits. Clinically, Duke fields advanced modalities including adaptive stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for prostate cancer, 3-Tesla MRI, PSMA PET imaging, robotic-assisted surgery across prostate, shoulder, and cardiothoracic indications, ECMO and ventricular assist devices in pediatric cardiac care, 3D cardiac imaging and mapping, and cell therapy including mismatched cord blood transplant. Digital and research infrastructure includes participation in the DoD Prostate Cancer Clinical Trial Consortium (1 of 13 sites) and membership in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, plus interpreter services in 150+ languages supporting international patients.

Duke generates revenue primarily through fee-for-service billing for clinical care rendered across its hospital campuses and ambulatory network, billed to primary and secondary commercial insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid, with automatic uninsured discounts tied to the best contracted commercial rates and separate billing entities per facility (Duke University Hospital, Duke Primary Care, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital). The go-to-market motion is enterprise-driven at the specialty referral tier (referring physicians, Duke MedLink, physician liaisons, CME programs targeting North Carolina clinicians) and consumer-driven at the primary and ambulatory tier (DukeHealth.org, My Duke Health portal, direct scheduling, urgent care, virtual urgent care 8am-8pm seven days per week). Customer segments are predominantly B2C patient populations — adults requiring complex specialty care, pediatric patients from neonates to young adults, and a smaller cohort of international patients — with referring physicians and payors serving as adjacent enterprise customers. David Zaas was appointed Health System CEO in March 2026, indicating active executive-level strategic oversight of the integrated system.

Name

Duke University Hospital

Legal name

Duke University Health System

Website

https://dukehealth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Duke University Hospital is a tertiary and quaternary care academic medical center in Durham, North Carolina, operated by Duke University Health System, providing advanced specialty and complex medical-surgical care to adult and pediatric patients across North Carolina.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Medical Center / Tertiary Care Hospital

NAICS

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (62211), Hospitals (622), Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals (622310)

SIC

Services-Hospitals (8060), Services-General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, Nec (8062)

akta.pro primary industry

Private/For-Profit Hospital Systems (HLAFAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s Hospitals & Pediatric Health Systems (HLAFAJAG), Oncology & Cancer Specialty Hospitals (HLAFAHAC), Ambulatory Oncology Centers (Outpatient Chemo/Radiation) (HLAFABAI)

Keywords

• Academic medical center
• Tertiary care hospital
• Pediatric specialty care
• Oncology treatment services
• Robotic surgery services

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Healthcare Services Revenue: Duke Health generates revenue primarily through providing healthcare services to patients. Services are billed to primary insurance, secondary insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid. Patients without insurance receive automatic discounts equal to the best discounts offered to insurance companies. Multiple billing entities exist including Duke Primary Care, Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, and Duke Raleigh Hospital, each billing separately for their services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Duke University Hospital operates as a full-service tertiary and quaternary care academic medical center delivering comprehensive diagnostic, medical, and surgical services across 11 adult specialties ranked nationally by U.S. News & World Report. The hospital supports a network of pediatric care, primary care across 50+ clinic locations, specialty ambulatory clinics, telehealth services, and clinical research programs through its integration with Duke University School of Medicine and Duke University Health System.

Product overview

Duke University Hospital operates as a comprehensive academic health system comprising multiple hospitals, primary and specialty care clinics, and digital health services. The core hospital facility is Duke University Hospital, a tertiary/quaternary care center ranked #1 in North Carolina and nationally ranked in 11 adult specialties. Supporting the main hospital are Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center (pediatric services ranked nationally in 10 pediatric specialties), Duke Primary Care (50+ clinic locations), and Duke Health Integrated Practice (110+ ambulatory clinics). Digital patient engagement is delivered through My Duke Health (formerly Duke MyChart), a patient portal built on Epic's MyChart platform offering scheduling, telehealth, E-visits, and bill payment. Healthcare providers access Duke's EMR system through Duke MedLink. Clinical services include specialty pharmacy, interpreter services, and clinical trials research programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Duke University Hospital

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked #1 hospital in North Carolina and nationally ranked in 11 adult specialties by U.S. News & World Report 2025-2026
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature13 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• National Cancer InstitutecoreOthersDuke Cancer Institute is one of select centers designated by the NCI as a Comprehensive Cancer Center, with access to research funding, clinical trial networks, and cancer prevention resources.
• National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuke is part of the NCCN, an alliance of the nation's leading cancer centers dedicated to improving care for patients through clinical practice guidelines and research collaboration.
• Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Clinical Trial ConsortiumflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuke is one of 13 sites nationally where new drugs and innovative therapies are being developed and delivered to people with advanced prostate cancer. Duke researchers have been closely involved in the development and approval of newer hormonal therapies, immunotherapies, chemotherapies, and radiopharmaceuticals.
• AetnacoreOthersDuke's pediatric congenital heart surgery program has been designated as an Aetna Institute of Excellence - the only one in North Carolina - recognizing quality standards and cost efficiency.
• American College of SurgeonscoreOthersDuke Children's Hospital has been verified as a Level I Children's Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons - the highest verification level for children's surgical centers.
• Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO)coreOthersDuke Children's received the ELSO Platinum Award of Excellence, recognizing excellence in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation care for critically ill children.
• URACcoreOthersDuke Specialty Pharmacy is URAC-accredited, demonstrating commitment to quality standards in specialty pharmacy services.
• Med-IQminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCME provider partnership for continuing medical education programs including orthopaedic referral optimization and epilepsy treatment.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• NYU Langone Health: NYU Langone is a top-ranked U.S. academic medical center with broad specialty and research capabilities anchored to NYU Grossman School of Medicine. It competes with Duke for national specialty rankings, sponsored research, and complex patient referrals.
• Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General Brigham): Mass General is a top-ranked U.S. academic medical center with deep adult and pediatric specialty programs, Harvard Medical School affiliation, and NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center designation. It competes with Duke for international patients, high-acuity complex case referrals, and sponsored research.
• UCSF Medical Center: UCSF Health is a leading West Coast AMC with comparable NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center designation, Level I children's services, and translational research capabilities. Duke and UCSF compete for national rankings, sponsored research funding, and complex case referrals.
• Johns Hopkins Hospital: Johns Hopkins is a leading U.S. academic medical center with similarly broad adult and pediatric specialty rankings and a deeply integrated research engine. Duke and Hopkins compete for top-tier national rankings, complex referrals, and faculty recruitment.
• Cleveland Clinic: Cleveland Clinic is a national, multi-specialty academic-affiliated health system with elite rankings in cardiology, oncology, and other specialties overlapping with Duke's flagship programs. Both compete for domestic and international complex-case referrals, particularly in cardiac and cancer care.

Direct peers

• Vanderbilt University Medical Center: Vanderbilt is a leading Southeastern academic medical center with comparable NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center designation, Level I trauma services, and a similarly integrated research-clinical delivery model. Duke and Vanderbilt compete for complex referrals, NCI consortium positions, and specialized talent across the Southeast.
• Emory Healthcare: Emory Healthcare is a major Southeastern AMC anchored by Emory University with overlapping oncology, transplant, cardiology, and neurosciences specialty services. Duke and Emory compete for high-acuity referrals and research collaborations across the Southeastern U.S.
• UNC Health (UNC Medical Center): UNC Medical Center is the other major academic medical center in North Carolina, with overlapping adult and pediatric specialty services, NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center designation, and shared regional referral dynamics. Duke and UNC Health compete directly for specialty referrals, faculty, and research funding within the same state.
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP): CHOP is one of the top-ranked U.S. children's hospitals with a similar profile to Duke Children's, including Level I Children's Surgery Center verification and elite pediatric cardiac capabilities. CHOP and Duke Children's compete for pediatric specialty referrals, family decisions on tertiary care destination, and pediatric clinical trial enrollment.
• Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist: Wake Forest Baptist is a North Carolina-based academic medical center integrated with Atrium Health, offering overlapping oncology, cardiology, and specialty services. As a fellow NC AMC, it competes with Duke for tertiary referrals, clinical trial enrollment, and fellowship-trained physician talent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DukeHealth
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Dukemedicine
• Facebookfacebook.com/dukehealth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/duke-university-health-system
• Instagraminstagram.com/dukehealth

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Duke University Hospital