Construction of the physician-owned hospital started in March and must be complete, with the hospital receiving Medicare certification, by Dec. 31 to satisfy the new health reform law.
Earlier this month, Good Samaritan Hospital, formerly an opponent of the new hospital, had agreed to partner with it. This was part of a deal brokered by state legislators when they were debating a one-year moratorium on building new hospitals in the state. The bill, LB999, was passed and signed into law with an amendment specifically excluding Kearney.
In a letter to employees, Good Samaritan CEO Bob Lanik said his hospital offered to buy the new hospital for $8.9 million and own it outright, but the physician-owners insisted on an arrangement under which Good Samaritan would “assist with the financing for a distinct, separate hospital that a limited group of physicians and outside investors would control and benefit from financially.”
To read the Kearney Hub’s reports on Kearney Regional Medical Center, click here and here.
