|
From The Observer News
(www.observernews.net) Top Stories
After hearing in September the continuing challenges from South Bay Hospital, a Hospital Corporation of America unit, and from Tampa General Hospital, Florida’s First District Court of Appeal last week affirmed earlier approval given St. Joseph’s 2005 application by the state’s Agency on Health Care Administration (AHCA). While not yet at the judicial mandate stage, the court decision, delivered through its website on October 8, well may clear the way for issuance by AHCA of a Certificate of Need (CON) approval, based on the St. Joseph’s-Baptist Healthcare Network 2005 application to build a 90-bed hospital on Big Bend Road. However, the path from here to there is not completely unobstructed. St. Joseph’s 2007 CON application for approval of the same proposed facility in that location remains in pending status, not yet officially settled. And, the competing HCA/South Bay Hospital has not formally dropped its end of the rope. The contest between the not-for-profit St. Joseph’s network, which includes a women’s hospital, a children’s acute care facility, the massive original hospital complex plus other units and the HCA/South Bay unit, part of a national for-profit corporation based in Tennessee, was declared about five years ago. At that time, each of the health care heavy weights proposed a new facility east of I-75 on opposite sides of rapidly developing Big Bend Road. In that initial round of the 2005 AHCA CON cycle, the St. Joseph’s petition for approval to build on its Big Bend property was denied by the state agency as AHCA supported HCA/South Bay’s Big Bend proposal. St. Joseph’s appealed that AHCA decision. Ultimately, the matter was heard by an administrative law court in Tallahassee during May, 2008, with the court finding in St. Joseph’s favor . Subsequently, in August, 2008, AHCA reversed its initial decision, issuing a final order consistent with the court finding. But, HCA/ South Bay appealed that move to the district one appeals court, Tampa General joined the fray asserting that more hospital beds in South Hillsborough are not needed, and attorneys for the three hospitals, plus AHCA, presented arguments to three appeal court judges on September 23. Their ruling, as posted on the court website last week without any discussion of the legal reasoning, indicates the finding was unanimous. Meanwhile, as the hospitals’ competition over their 2005 applications was in process, the 2007 application cycle opened. HCA/South Bay at this point revamped its concept for its Big Bend site, proposing to relocate most of the medical services from its Sun City Center facility to a new, acute care 110-bed hospital on 60 acres abutting the north side of Big Bend, leaving principally an emergency room operation in the S.R. 674 site. For the 2007 cycle, St. Joseph’s re-submitted its originally-proposed 90-bed facility on the 55 acres it has held on the south side of Big Bend for more than 25 years. Lisa Patterson, public relations manager for the St. Joseph’s network, has noted “we simply wanted to remain in the conversation” as the 2005 back and forth continued. The state agency, AHCA, initially favored the HCA/South Bay relocation concept, denying St. Joseph’s in the early stages of the 2007 cycle. St. Joseph’s appealed that denial and another hearing on the matter is expected but not yet set. As the 2007 cycle contest is playing out, both AHCA personnel and local leaders were looking ahead. James McLemore, a CON area manager at the state agency and an AHCA attorney said this week that the 2005 CON could be issued to St. Joseph’s in about 30 days. Because the appeal court’s decision was unanimous and there is no higher court essentially to appeal to, the attorney explained, it is unlikely that further appeals would be pressed by lawyers for HCA/South Bay or Tampa General. The court’s mandate could be forthcoming in 30 days, the attorney added, and the way then is clear to issue a CON to the Tampa hospital network. At St. Joseph’s this week, the mood was upbeat. Patterson, the PR manager, noted “We are a major step closer to getting a new St. Joseph’s Hospital on Big Bend Road.” Once the network’s state approval is in place, it will take about three years to complete the design work and approximately another three years to construct the facility, she said. Barring the unexpected, “we’re looking at about 2015” to open the new hospital, Patterson added. And five years is not an extraordinary timeframe for completing the approval process, the PR manager said. The St. Joseph’s network currently is building a $225 million satellite hospital in the northwest part of the county, set to open in February, 2010, that was eight years in the approval process, she added. News of the appeal court’s finding for St. Joseph’s also was greeted with enthusiasm locally. Ed Barnes, president of the SCC Community Association, called it “absolutely great news” as he announced the court ‘s posting to the other eight CA board members. Tampa General, which joined HCA/South Bay in opposing the St. Joseph’s plan, “wants to bring patients to them,” he suggested to The Observer, “while St. Joe’s wants to bring the hospital to the patients.” And Jim Duffy, another SCC resident as well as strong advocate with government on behalf of the South County who has followed the unfolding hospital saga closely, agreed the court ruling: “just might wrap up the 2005” CON application process. But the court’s decision is not the only signal, he noted. Duffy also pointed to the HCA website which details within it the number of upgrading changes taking place and planned at South Bay in its present location. Both Debra McKell, regional marketing manager for HCA, and Sherrell Bennett, community relations coordinator at South Bay, responded to telephone calls from The Observer concerning any HCA/South Bay plans taking shape as a result of the court ruling. However, both said they did not have any new information available. © 2009 Melody Jameson © Copyright 2008 by The Observer News Publications and M&M Printing |
