Physician Hospitals of America (PHA) and Texas Spine & Joint Hospital (TSJH) File Suit Challenging Healthcare Reform Restrictions on Expansion/Development
In prior posts I’ve discussed the significant impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the PPACA, more commonly referred to as the healthcare reform legislation) on the physician-owned hospital industry. Section 6001 of the PPACA stymies growth of the industry by prohibiting expansion of existing physician-owned hospitals and bans any new physician-owned hospitals that are not Medicare-certified by December 31, 2010 (i.e. hospitals violating those limitations will not be permitted to bill Medicare/Medicaid for referrals made by their physician owners). Although a number of exceptions apply to the expansion prohibition, most industry analysts believe meeting the exceptions will be challenging to virtually impossible for existing physician-owned hospitals.
According to a press release issued today by Physician Hospitals of America (PHA), the trade association for the industry, there are approximately 265 existing physician-owned hospitals, 29 of which are scheduled to open and receive their Medicare certification by December 31, 2010. An additional 45 hospitals are currently under development and are not expected to be open or Medicare-certified by December 31, 2010. According to PHA, there were also 39 hospitals that were previously under development but were abandoned as projects due to passage of Section 6001.
In response to Section 6001, PHA and Texas Spine & Joint Hospital (TSJH) jointly filed suit today in U.S. Federal Court, Eastern District of Texas, challenging the constitutionality of Section 6001 on grounds that the law is a violation of due process and equal protection rights, and that the Section is void due to a contradictory, vague and arbitrary nature. TSJH is a privately owned hospital specializing in orthopedic and spine surgery, procedures, and tests which had sought and won local zoning approval to expand its facility with an additional 20 Medicare beds, which expansion project would now be prohibited by Section 6001.
Industry supporters and opponents will be carefully following progression of the lawsuit as the resolution is anticipated to have a profound impact on the ability of the physician-owned industry to thrive.
Scott Oostdyk and Victor Moldovan of McGuireWoods are representing PHA and TSJH in the lawsuit.
Amber Walsh focuses on healthcare transactional work and regulatory matters. Her experience includes representation of various types of healthcare providers
Kristian Werling concentrates in healthcare transactional work and regulatory matters for all participants in the healthcare and life science industry.