Certificate of Need News
Hospitals file suit, say rule change will cost them paying customers
2/27/2009
Northeast Georgia Medical Center is among a group of 59 nonprofit hospitals that filed suit last week against the Georgia Department of Community Health, claiming that the agency illegally changed its certificate-of-need policy.
On Dec. 13, the department reclassified general surgeons from "multispecialty" to "single specialty" status. This would allow general surgeons to set up their own free-standing surgery centers without having to go through the certificate-of-need process, which determines whether there is a local need for particular medical services.
Some specialties, such as plastic surgery, already have free-standing centers in Georgia. But general surgery, which can include procedures on just about any part of the body, has always been a core business for hospitals.
"General surgery — appendixes and gallbladders — is the heart of what every community hospital does," said Jim Gardner, president and chief executive officer of Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
"We don’t oppose general surgery being designated as a single specialty, but it needs to be done through the legislative process."
Read this article by Debbie Gilbert from the January 9, 2008 issue of the Gainesville Times.
