Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center blasted today the decision by Novant Health Inc. to appeal the conditional approval of a new Davie County Hospital by state regulators.
The N.C. Division of Health Service Regulation approved on Aug. 28 — with five conditions — Baptist's second application for a $100 million, 48-bed hospital in Advance on Aug. 28.
Novant filed an expected appeal of the state's decision Friday. The appeal is likely to delay the building of a new Davie hospital by at least a year.
"Any delay in providing a new hospital is the responsibility of Novant," Donny Lambeth, the interim president of N.C. Baptist Hospital, said in a statement. "We will pursue a replacement hospital with all vigor.
"The appeal is nothing more than an attempt by Novant to protect its market share by delaying the people of Davie and surrounding counties from having a modern hospital."
Baptist and Davie County officials are trying to move forward with their plans, meeting this morning with the architect, HKS Inc. of Dallas, at the site of the proposed hospital.
The rival health-care systems have been jockeying intensely for a new community hospital since September 2007.
Forsyth Medical Center wants to build a small regional hospital in Clemmons that would be within a four-mile radius of the proposed Advance site. Analysts have said they do not believe that the state would approve both hospitals.
"The state has spoken and agreed with us that there is a public need for a hospital in Davie County," Lambeth said. "Through its approval, the state also expressed no concern regarding the location for the proposed replacement hospital in eastern Davie County.
"In its own application, Novant said it did not oppose a replacement hospital in Davie County. Now, obviously, by filing an appeal, Novant is directly opposing a replacement hospital in Davie County. These contradictions are puzzling and create doubt about Novant's credibility."
Greg Beier, the president of acute-care services for Novant, said in a statement Friday that the appeal was filed because we believe in a two-hospital solution where both parties get to proceed with their projects."
"The volume projections prepared by an experienced CON consultant support that result," Beier said. "It's our understanding the state would be open to considering a two-hospital solution upon presentation of the data showing that two hospitals could work."
Beier said that Novant also filed the appeal to protect its CON applications. The first by Forsyth was denied in February, along with the first application by Baptist. At that time, analysts said that the Forsyth application appeared to have fewer deficiencies.
Those first applications have been appealed and are being reviewed by an administrative law judge. Beier said that Friday's appeal means that Baptist's conditionally approved application will be reviewed the same way.
Forsyth's second application and Baptist's third application, which includes a birthing center, are in their initial review.
"We are concerned that N.C. Baptist Hospital will use the approval of the Davie application to prevent a hospital in Clemmons and deny citizens in western Forsyth the opportunity to maintain existing relationships with their physicians and access the Novant facilities and services they've entrusted to their care for many years," Beier said.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement