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.
