One Federal Law Finances Planned Physician-Owned Hospital, Another Bans It

A group of physicians planning a hospital in Hammond, Ind., received a $7 million bond for the project from federal stimulus funds but is considering how to move forward now that the health reform law will ban new physician-owned hospitals, according to a report in the Gary Post-Tribune.

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Vijay Patel, MD, a family physician, said his group of investors has not yet broken ground on the hospital and doubt that it will obtain Medicare certification by Dec. 31, the deadline for any new projects.

“Thank God we’re not stuck in-between,” Dr. Patel said, adding that the group is considering either building an ASC or working with a hospital on the project.

Four existing physician-owned hospitals already operating in Northwest Indiana are prevented from expanding under the new law: Hind Hospital in Hobart, Pinnacle Hospital in Merrillville, Franciscan Physicians Hospital in Munster and Surgical Hospital of Munster.

Read the Gary Post-Tribune’s report on physician-owned hospitals.

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