MauryTHINKS

COLUMBIA, Tenn.— The Maury Regional Hospital (MRH) Board of Trustees last night unanimously approved a plan to join Williamson Medical Center (WMC) in Davidson County Chancery Court to seek review of a final decision by the Health Services and Development Agency (HSDA) to grant HCA approval to build a hospital in Spring Hill.

“The board carefully considered the merits of an appeal and did not enter into this decision lightly. It was the consensus of the group that a second hospital in Maury County would harm our hospital’s ability to expand services and technology, as well as drive up the cost of health care for all residents in our region,” said Robert Otwell, MRH CEO.

MRH and WMC have been successful in prior stages of the proceeding. On October 12, 2007, an administrative law judge reversed the HSDA’s approval of the hospital following ten days of courtroom deliberations that included expert testimony and cross examination of witnesses.

Otwell adds that most of the groundwork and expense for opposing the HCA hospital has already been incurred and that presenting arguments to Chancery Court will not require extensive legal work.

“Maury Regional Hospital is a fiscally responsible organization. Our desire to protect the hospital stems from our desire as a not-for-profit to reinvest revenues back into the services that we provide to all residents in our region, including Spring Hill. For this reason, this appeal has been an investment in protecting the quality of care and cost of health care for the people that we serve.”

Otwell also expressed that HCA’s recent certificate of need (CON) application for radiation therapy is indicative of the long term intent of the nation’s largest hospital corporation to dominate the market at the expense of existing providers.

“Radiation therapy was not one of the services included in HCA’s original CON; therefore, HCA has shown that their full intent is to offer more than the general inpatient and outpatient services included in the CON and to duplicate services already provided at Maury Regional Hospital and Williamson Medical Center. The State’s CON process addresses need and duplication of services because if there is not sufficient demand or the services are already being provided by existing providers, it drives up the cost of health care for consumers. We hope that the court system will do what is in the best interest of all residents in our entire region.”