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Opponents Use SCHIP Children's Health Care Bill to Attack Physician-Owned Hospitals: Doctors Call on Congressional Leadership to Remove Lobbyist Inspired Attack Reports PHA

Posted on: Thursday, 15 January 2009, 04:30 CST

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to Wednesday's attack on hospitals owned by America's physicians, Physician Hospitals of America declares that it is time for House and Senate Leadership to step in and ensure the future of hospitals that are operated by doctors who swore oaths to care for their patients.

The doctors are asking Leadership to remove the anti-physician language so that Congress can pass a clean SCHIP Bill for children. Last year anti-physician, special interest lobbyists tried their sneak attack by way of the Farm Bill and even the War Supplemental Bill, but were stopped.

"We are extremely disappointed in the House action," said Molly Sandvig, Executive Director of Physician Hospitals of America. "Physician-owned hospitals provide high quality health care to many Americans. Wednesday's vote will deprive our citizens, particularly Medicare beneficiaries, of the opportunity to have access to improved medical and surgical outcomes."

Ironically, the House vote will mean that even the children SCHIP is supposed to help will be prevented from access to many of the country's best hospitals.

The language contained in HR 2, the SCHIP reauthorization, will not allow hospitals to grow, seriously hampering them economically. Also, there will be no protection offered for hospitals under development and no physician investors in hospitals built after January 1, 2009 would be allowed to care for Medicare or Medicaid patients in these facilities.

There are currently 199 physician-owned hospitals nationwide. Together, these facilities employ more than 55,000 nurses, other health professionals and support staff. Critically, hospitals owned and operated by physicians themselves consistently are rated as safer and better by independent evaluations including those of the federal government. (See full list of hospitals below)

Sandvig notes, "As acknowledged by many House members, SCHIP should be funded by a stable source, not through a budget gimmick. The purpose of SCHIP was never to include extraneous Medicare provisions that limit patient choice or prohibit access to quality care."

Instead of draining money or needing taxpayer bailouts PHA member hospitals strengthen local economies through their payrolls, taxes, and purchase of local goods and services. If the attack on physician owned hospitals is allowed to continue, local economies will be deprived of billions of dollars that are needed now more than ever before.

"SCHIP is intended as a bill with a positive impact," adds Sandvig. "Physicians, physician hospital employees and America's patients, call on Congress and request that they abide by that intent."

HOSPITAL NAME CITY STATE Troy Regional Medical Center Troy AL Crestwood Medical Center Huntsville AL NEA Medical Center Jonesboro AR HealthPark Hospital Hot Springs AR Arkansas Surgical Hospital North Little Rock AR Arkansas Heart Hospital Little Rock AR National Park Medical Center Hot Springs AR Arizona Heart Hospital Phoenix AZ Arizona Orthopedic Surgical Hospital Chandler AZ Arizona Spine & Joint Hospital Mesa AZ Arizona Regional Medical Center Mesa AZ Tucson Heart Hospital Tucson AZ Gilbert Hospital Gilbert AZ Mountain Vista Medical Center Mesa AZ Surgical Specialty Hospital of Arizona Phoenix AZ Patients' Hospital of Redding Redding CA Sutter Surgical Hospital - North Valley Yuba City CA Shasta Regional Medical Redding CA Fresno Surgical Hospital Fresno CA Stanislaus Surgical Hospital Modesto CA Bakersfield Heart Hospital Bakersfield CA Thousand Oaks Surgical Hospital Thousand Oaks CA Miracle Mile Medical Center Los Angeles CA Olympia Medical Center Los Angeles CA Community Hospital of Huntington Park Huntington Park CA Coast Plaza Doctors Hospital Norwalk CA Alvarado Hospital Medical Center San Diego CA Animas Surgical Hospital Durango CO Doctors Hospital Augusta GA Trinity Hospital of Augusta Augusta GA Hawaii Medical Center-West Ewa Beach HI Hawaii Medical Center-East Honolulu HI Treasure Valley Hospital Boise ID Northwest Specialty Hospital Post Falls ID Mountain View Hospital Idaho Falls ID Surgical Hospital of Munster Munster IN Pinnacle Hospital Crown Point IN Franciscan Physicians Hospital Munster IN Hind General Hospital Hobart IN RiverCrest Specialty Hospital Mishawaka IN Doctor's Hospital Bremen IN Dupont Hospital Fort Wayne IN Kosciusko Community Hospital Warsaw IN Indiana Orthopaedic Hospital Indianapolis IN Indiana Heart Hospital Indianapolis IN St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana Indianapolis IN Surgical and Diagnostic Center of Great Bend Great Bend KS Salina Surgical Hospital Salina KS Summit Surgical Hutchinson KS Manhattan Surgical Hospital Manhattan KS Doctors Specialty Hospital Leawood KS Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute Leawood KS Heartland Spine & Specialty Hospital Overland Park KS Kansas Spine Hospital Wichita KS Kansas Surgery and Recovery Center Wichita KS Kansas Heart Hospital Wichita KS Kansas Medical Center Andover KS Galichia Heart Hospital Wichita KS Southern Surgical Hospital Slidell LA Fairway Medical Center Covington LA Doctors Hospital of Slidell Slidell LA Louisiana Heart Hospital Lacombe LA Physicians Surgical Specialty Hospital Houma LA Specialists Hospital Bossier Bossier City LA Specialists Hospital Shreveport Shreveport LA Ouachita Community Hospital West Monroe LA P & S Surgical Hospital Monroe LA Green Clinic Surgical Hospital Ruston LA Monroe Surgical Hospital Monroe LA Greater Baton Rouge Surgical Hospital Baton Rouge LA The Neuro Medical Center Surgical Hospital Baton Rouge LA Surgical Specialty Centre Baton Rouge LA Lafayette General Surgical Hospital Lafayette LA Park Place Surgical Hospital Lafayette LA Heart Hospital Lafayette Lafayette LA Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital Lafayette LA Southpark Hospital Youngsville LA Southeast Michigan Surgical Hospital Warren MI Oakland Regional Hospital Southfield MI Ozarks Community Hospital Springfield MO Health Center Northwest Hospital Kalispell MT Central Montana Surgical Hospital Great Falls MT North Carolina Specialty Hospital Durham NC Lincoln Surgical Hospital Lincoln NE Nebraska Heart Hospital Lincoln NE Midwest Neuroscience Surgery Center Omaha NE Nebraska Orthopaedic Hospital Omaha NE Bellevue Medical Center Bellevue NE Heart Hospital of New Mexico Albuquerque NM Physicians Medical Center of Santa Fe Santa Fe NM Sierra Surgery Hospital Carson City NV Surgery Center of Evendale Cincinnati OH The Medical Center at Elizabeth Place Dayton OH Riverview Health Institute Dayton OH Institute for Orthopaedic Surgery Lima OH Three Gables Surgery Center Proctorville OH Butler County Medical Center Hamilton OH Mercy Hospital Fairfield Fairfield OH Medical Center of Newark Newark OH Tulsa Spine & Specialty Hospital Tulsa OK Oklahoma Surgical Hospital Tulsa OK Hospital for Special Surgery Oklahoma City OK Foundation Bariatric Hospital of Oklahoma Edmond OK Northwest Surgical Hospital Oklahoma City OK Surgical Hospital of Oklahoma Oklahoma City OK Oklahoma Center for Orthopaedic & Multi-Specialty Surgery Oklahoma City OK Lakeside Women's Hospital Oklahoma City OK McBride Clinic Orthopedic Hospital Oklahoma City OK Oklahoma Heart Hospital Oklahoma City OK Deaconess Hospital Oklahoma City OK Oklahoma Spine Hospital Oklahoma City OK McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center Springfield OR Edgewood Surgical Hospital Transfer PA Diversified Specialty Institutes, Bucks County Bensalem PA Surgical Specialty Center at Coordinated Health Bethlehem PA Westfield Hospital Allentown PA Surgical Institute of Reading Wyomissing PA Mary Black Memorial Hospital Spartanburg SC Lewis & Clark Specialty Hospital Yankton SD Dakota Plains Surgical Center Aberdeen SD Same Day Surgery Center Rapid City SD Siouxland Surgery Center Dakota Dunes SD Sioux Falls Surgical Center Sioux Falls SD Black Hills Surgery Center Rapid City SD Avera Heart Hospital of South Dakota Sioux Falls SD Woods Memorial Hospital Etowah TN United Regional Medical Center Manchester TN Texas Spine & Joint Hospital Tyler TX Woodland Heights Medical Center Lufkin TX Longview Regional Medical Center Longview TX Beaumont Bone & Joint Institute Beaumont TX TOPS Surgical Hospital Houston TX The Medical Center of Southeast Texas Port Arthur TX Vista Hospital of Dallas Garland TX Baylor Medical Center at Frisco Frisco TX Presbyterian Plano Center for Diagnostics & Surgery Plano TX Reliant Rehabilitation Hospital - North Texas Richardson TX Presbyterian Hospital of Rockwall Rockwall TX USMD Hospital at Arlington Arlington TX Foundation Surgical Hospital Bellaire TX Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center Houston TX Beacon Specialty Hospital Houston TX Memorial Hermann Surgical Hospital Kingwood Kingwood TX Reliant Rehabilitation Hospital - North Houston Shenandoah TX Texas Orthopedic Hospital Houston TX Northwest Hills Surgical Hospital Austin TX Heart Hospital Of Austin Austin TX North Cypress Medical Center Cypress TX Odessa Regional Medical Center Odessa TX USMD Hospital at Fort Worth Fort Worth TX GLOBALREHAB Fort Worth TX Baylor Surgical Hospital at Fort Worth Fort Worth TX Quail Creek Surgical Hospital Amarillo TX Northwest Texas Surgical Hospital Amarillo TX Harlingen Medical Center Harlingen TX Doctors Hospital at Renaissance Edinburg TX El Paso Specialty Hospital El Paso TX Physicians Hospital El Paso TX The Physicians Centre Bryan TX St. Joseph Medical Center Houston TX University General Hospital Houston TX Lubbock Heart Hospital Lubbock TX Foundation Bariatric Hospital of San Antonio San Antonio TX Texsan Heart Hospital San Antonio TX Austin Surgical Hospital Austin TX The Hospital at Westlake Medical Center Austin TX Sugar Land Surgical Hospital Sugar Land TX Vista Medical Center Hospital Pasadena TX Houston Physicians' Hospital Webster TX South Texas Spine & Surgical Hospital San Antonio TX Southwest General Hospital San Antonio TX Harris Methodist Southlake Southlake TX RHD Medical Center Dallas TX North Texas Hospital Denton TX Southwest Surgical Hospital Hurst TX Baylor Medical Center at Trophy Club Trophy Club TX Cook Children's Hospital Northeast Hurst TX Brownsville Doctors Hospital Brownsville TX Doctor's Hospital of Laredo Laredo TX Patients Medical Center Pasadena TX Doctors Hospital Tidwell Houston TX Doctors Hospital Parkway Houston TX Houston Hospital for Specialized Surgery Houston TX GLOBALREHAB Dallas TX Pine Creek Medical Center Dallas TX Baylor Heart and Vascular Center Dallas TX Gulf States Hospitals Dallas TX Reliant Rehabilitation Hospital - Central Texas Round Rock TX Irving Coppell Surgical Hospital Irving TX Texas Institute for Surgery Dallas TX Cache Valley Specialty Hospital North Logan UT Davis Hospital and Medical Center Layton UT Salt Lake Regional Medical Center Salt Lake City UT Jordan Valley Medical Center West Jordan UT Wenatchee Valley Hospital Wenatchee WA OakLeaf Surgical Hospital Eau Claire WI Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin Glendale WI Aurora BayCare Medical Center Green Bay WI Charleston Surgical Hospital Charleston WV

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link. Molly Sandvig, JD https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=83748

SOURCE Physician Hospitals of America

Source: PR Newswire

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