Here are four recent updates related to certificate-of-need issues in Alabama, North Carolina and Virginia, as reported by Becker's:
1. An administrative law judge approved plans for Southern Orthopaedic Surgeons to construct a new surgical facility in Montgomery, Ala. The plan now awaits CON approval from the State Health Planning and Development Agency.
2. The Health Care Authority of the City of Hoover (Ala.) was issued its CON for the Riverwalk Health and Wellness Center after receiving initial approval in August. The approval came after months of legal battles and pushback from Forest Park Group, which planned to build a similar ASC in the area.
3. An April 2020 lawsuit could reach North Carolina's Supreme Court and have significant effects on existing healthcare rivalries in the state. Jay Singleton, MD, an ophthalmologist and owner of Singleton Vision Center in New Bern, N.C., initially filed the lawsuit after being denied a CON to perform eye surgeries at his clinic. If the law is overturned, it could heat up competition between Winston-Salem-based Novant Health and Charlotte-based Atrium Health.
4. On Aug. 13, HCA won CON approval to develop an ASC in Hanover, Va., after two consecutive rejections by state health authorities.