Initially the PHA believed that both the House and Senate would see proposed bills that could adversely impact the physician-owned hospital industry. However, it has been determined by the PHA that the Senate will not add the physician hospital language to its version of SCHIP. Therefore, the primary threat to physician hospitals will be in the House version of the SCHIP bill, according to the PHA.
The House SCHIP bill is expected to include language imposing legislative limits on physician-owned hospitals according to Molly Sandvig, JD, executive director of PHA. A vote on the bill could come as early as tomorrow. While the PHA does not know which version of the past language Rep. Pete Stark will include, Ms. Sandvig says that it is likely that existing, under development and future physician-owned hospitals will all be at risk.
The PHA is lobbying support to alter the SCHIP bill.
“Time is of the essence – this may be our last chance to affect how our existing hospitals look going forward, whether the hospitals under development are allowed to open, and what the future holds for physician hospitals in general,” says Ms. Sandvig.
Sample letters that can be copied, amended (if desired) and e-mailed or faxed to Congress can be found on the PHA Web site by clicking here. The PHA is also encouraging PHA members and other supporters of physician ownership of hospitals to call Democratic Congressional representatives and tell House leadership, particularly Speaker Nancy Pelosi, that although they support SCHIP, patients in their districts would be harmed by the passage of any legislation hurting physician-owned hospitals.
Ms. Sandvig says owners of hospitals under development should inform Congressional officials how much money they have invested, the overall economic impact of their projects and how drastically and negatively such legislation could affect physicians, staff, patients and the overall healthcare marketplace.
“It is completely counterintuitive that at a time when our country is experiencing an economic downturn, high rates of unemployment and inadequate access to healthcare, that Congress would consider killing an industry that provides over 55,000 jobs nationally and that provides some of the best quality healthcare available in America,” says Ms. Sandvig.
To download a document that contains talking points speaking to specific data on the economic impact of physician-owned hospitals on a national level as well as other information on the industry, click here (doc).
You can also download a study of the economic impact of physician-owned hospitals in eight states, completed for PHA by John Schneider, PhD, of Health Economics Consulting Group, by clicking here (pdf). Ms. Sandvig is encouraging PHA members and other current or prospective physician owners of hospitals to use this document as well, especially if their hospital is located in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Nebraska or South Dakota.
Reach Ms. Sandvig at molly@physicianhospitals.org or by calling (605) 321-3483.
