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Competitors Make Final Effort Before Deadline to Decide on Fort Mill Hospital

Posted on: Thursday, 20 April 2006, 09:01 CDT

By Julie Graham, The Herald, Rock Hill, S.C.

Apr. 20--Hospitals defended themselves while criticizing their competitors in a last pitch to the state before a decision on who will build a Fort Mill hospital.

Health-care officials were not allowed to respond to each other during a March 23 project review committee meeting with the state Department of Health and Environmental Control in Columbia. They had to submit their thoughts in writing.

"It's last minute information, maybe compelling information, so we choose them," said Joel Grice of DHEC, who expects to have a pick late next month. "When you get toward the end, it can get mean-spirited."

Four hospitals are competing to build York County's second hospital in the fast-growing Fort Mill area. DHEC released the responses filed by the four, all 306 pages, on Tuesday.

Some hospitals answered specific questions and refuted points that came up during the meeting. Others included copies of their PowerPoint presentations and lists of why they should be chosen.

"This should be a synopsis in writing of the oral presentation they gave as well as any rebuttals to what was said by the other applicants at the meeting," said Mary Fechtel of DHEC's certificate of need department. "These comments are important."

The letters backed what the hospitals have been saying all along.

Carolinas HealthCare System says it's the most popular North Carolina hospital provider in York County. Hospital Partners of America believes the area needs a new kid on the block. Presbyterian Healthcare says it has the most experience to build a community hospital. Piedmont Medical Center stresses its will pay $2.5 million in taxes a year.

But the Rock Hill-based hospital's biggest point was that another hospital company would adversely impact them, resulting in a loss of patients and revenue at PMC.

"These are not sister facilities with whom a relationship can develop and between which patients can easily move," PMC said. "If one of the other applicants is awarded the CON (certificate of need), then it becomes a competitive situation, in which each facility will be seeking to find ways to direct Piedmont patients to their facility."

The hospitals dispute each others' proposals and figures, including the service area population, hospital charges and even the facilities' cost per square foot. The arguments go on and on.

Rock Hill-based PMC is proposing a 100-bed hospital. The others, all located in North Carolina, have to stick with 64-bed plans.

Here is what the applicants had to say about each other:

Carolinas HealthCare System

What others said:

--Investments will be made in North Carolina, and the Fort Mill facility will never be an emphasis for development (PMC)

--Will feed patients into Charlotte, not solving the problem of patients going to North Carolina for care (PMC)

What they said:

--Has proposed lowest total capital costs, leading to lower operating and, ultimately, lower health care costs

--Has 16 separate medical communities, including community hospitals

--Provides quality health care and has been ranked Charlotte's Most Preferred Hospital for eight years in a row

Hospital Partners of America

What others said:

--Has a leadership team with a history of selling off companies (PMC)

--Lacks experience in the southeast with hospitals in Texas and California (PMC)

--Relocation of corporate headquarters is irrelevant to the state's decision and would only relocate 40 employees to Fort Mill (Presbyterian)

What they said:

--Would pay $1.4 million in local property taxes

--Gives people a new hospital choice

--Involves local physicians in the ownership, governance and clinical leadership

Presbyterian Healthcare

What others said:

--Lacks experience serving York County patients; only 5 percent of residents receive care through Presbyterian (PMC)

--Building a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week emergency services facility in western York County is irrelevant to the process (CHS)

--Would continue the pattern of South Carolina patients going to North Carolina hospitals for care (Hospital Partners)

What they said:

--Experience building similar community hospitals in Matthews, N.C., and Huntersville, N.C.

--Already has more than 300 employees in York County

--Would provide quality care as well as on-call dining for patients and Internet access in rooms

Tenet Healthcare, parent of PMC

What others said:

--Projections of number of patients who would use 100-bed hospital are overly optimistic (CHS)

--Many of the support letters were written before the other three hospitals filed as competitors (Presbyterian)

--Historically high prices and uncertainty with Tenet legal issues (Hospital Partners)

What they said:

--Committed to the community, serving more than 70 percent of county residents

--Ability to transfer patients requiring more care to Rock Hill hospital without leaving the county or state

--Demonstrating cost effectiveness in proposing a 100-bed hospital

Julie Graham --329-4071

jgraham@heraldonline.com

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Source: The Herald

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