Marriottsville, Md.-based Bon Secours filed notices of appeal April 10 for hospital projects for two competitors that were approved March 13 by Virginia’s state health commissioner.
Four things to know:
1. The appeals were filed to ensure the certificate-of-public need laws “are applied consistently and as intended, while supporting responsible, need‑based growth that strengthens the long-term stability of the care delivery network for patients and communities,” a Bon Secours spokesperson said in an April 20 statement shared with Becker’s.
2. State Health Commissioner Cameron Webb, MD, gave conditional approval in March for two hospital build projects: Richmond, Va.-based VCU Health’s 66-bed Chesterfield (Va.) Hospital and Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare’s 60-bed Magnolia Hospital in Moseley, Va.
Bon Secours also received conditional approval to add 40 acute care beds to St. Francis Medical Center in Midlothian, Va.
3. Bon Secours supports “thoughtful growth,” the spokesperson said. St. Francis Medical Center is “experiencing sustained utilization” that demonstrates a need for expansion, which is supported by the certificate-of-public need process to ensure patients have timely access to existing, high-quality care, according to the statement.
“By contrast, adding multiple new hospitals in an area that is already well-served by multiple providers risks duplicating services while further straining a health care workforce that remains in high demand. More hospitals are not always better if they are not aligned with demonstrated community need,” the spokesperson said. “The COPN process exists to ensure hospital development is guided by objective need and will strengthen, not weaken, the overall health care delivery system in a region.”
4. The appeal, expected to be filed in the Chesterfield Circuit Court in the coming weeks, would prompt a judge to evaluate whether the approvals aligned with state law and the details outlined in the health systems’ applications. The judge may either uphold, reverse or send the decisions back to the state health commissioner for further review, Richmond BizSense reported April 20.
Becker’s has reached out to HCA Healthcare and VCU Health and will update this story if more information becomes available.
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