dbeard@dominionpost.com
MORGANTOWN – A bill to exempt micro-hospitals from the Certificate of Need process died in the House Health Committee on Thursday.
The original HB 3487 aimed to eliminate CON requirements for construction or acquisition of a small format or micro-hospital owned by a system with one or more existing licensed hospitals in the state. The version the committee took up and killed opened it up to anyone wishing to build a micro-hospital.
The new facility would have to be located to increase care capacity without jeopardizing any nearby critical access hospitals. It could include up to 25 inpatient beds, up to 25 emergency room beds, a CT scanner, an MRI scanner and other services. The cost could not exceed $100 million.
Committee counsel pointed out micro-hospitals are not defined in current code – the bill would set aside a new exception for small-format hospitals that are subject to CON.
Lead sponsor Wayne Clark, R-Jefferson, said again that the Eastern Panhandle lacks access to care. He added that micro-hospitals tend to be built in high-density suburban areas like the panhandle, rather than rural areas.
“We’re going to give our citizens more access to healthcare,” he said.
Delegate Anitra Hamilton, D-Monongalia, opposed the bill, agreeing that all West Virginians need better access to healthcare. But Mon Health System built a small-format hospital in Marion and is breaking ground on one in Harrison, and went through CON for both.
A major problem, she said, is inability to recruit staff. But there is a process in place and noting hinders a health system from applying.
As we reported following the initial committee hearing on the bill, Mon Health System/Vandalia North and the West Virginia Hospital Association both opposed the bill.
A voice vote followed the debate, with a few votes for the bill and the louder majority against it.
