The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled the hospital’s plans to move patients implied a project to build a new hospital, which would go against the state health plan’s assertion that a new hospital isn’t needed in the area.
The court’s ruling upholds denials of St. Dominic’s two previous attempts to gain approval for the project. In 2010, the state health department rejected St. Dominic’s certificate of need application, claiming developing a new hospital without scaling back services at its current campus would create an excess of beds, as defined in the state health plan. A county judge later upheld that ruling.
Tim Coursey, executive director of the Madison County Economic Development Authority, opposes the state’s rejection of a new hospital, arguing a new hospital would increase access to care and would represent an investment in the community.
In contrast, Naples, Fla.-based Health Management Associates supports the court’s decision. HMA built 67-bed Madison River Oaks Hospital in Canton, Miss., when St. Dominic’s appeal was pending, according to the report. Madison River Oaks Hospital replaced Madison County Medical Center, which closed.
More Articles on St. Dominic Hospital:
Judge Rejects Mississippi’s St. Dominic’s Plans for New Facility
Mississippi Denies St. Dominic Hospital’s Proposed Madison Facility
Mississippi Hospital Groups Look to Community Support to Receive State Approval for New Facilities
