Nueterra continues to champion the cause of physician ownership for ambulatory surgical centers and surgical hospitals with members of Congress and other elected officials. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that is the new health care reform law imposes serious roadblocks to physician ownership going forward.
As soon as the bill was signed into law, plans for 24 new physician-owned hospitals were suddenly nixed and the 47 such facilities currently under construction will be severely tested to meet new regulations in order to open. And it all has resulted because the owners and operators of community hospitals represented by the American Hospital Association don’t want competition. It’s as if General Motors was able to pass a law that bars Ford from producing new vehicles.
That’s why Nueterra and St. Luke’s Health System recently hosted Kansas Congressman (and candidate for Senate) Jerry Moran on a tour of our joint venture, St. Luke’s South Surgery Center. We wanted to make him aware of the difficult environment that physician-owned facilities now face and we had a good discussion of the issues.
Nueterra and partners have also held discussions along these lines with Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Missouri Sen. Christopher Bond.
Our message remains clear: Physicians need to have leadership positions and be involved in the governance of facilities in which they have financial stakes. Onerous regulations simply will send entrepreneurs elsewhere with their investment dollars. We believe that the supply of young physicians will also be curtailed as they realize their financial options are more limited.
Nueterra is committed to telling elected officials the truth about physician-owned facilities – we deliver quality care in patient-centered environments that result in extremely high levels of patient and physician satisfaction.
We are willing to risk those values in the open marketplace. Why aren’t others?