Pinehurst (N.C.) Surgical Clinic on Oct. 4 petitioned Gov. Roy Cooper to reverse the denial of its proposed ASC in Sanford, according to The Pilot, a local news outlet.
In late September, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services rejected Pinehurst's plans to build a surgery center that would cost $6 million to $12 million, citing a surplus of operating rooms in Lee County.
North Carolina is one of 35 states that has a certificate-of-need program, which is designed to control healthcare costs by restricting competition for duplicative services and determining whether capital expenditures meet a community need.
But David Grantham, MD, Pinehurst's president and medical director, argues rural communities in North Carolina need more access to quality care. "We see a lot of folks from Lee County at our regular clinic in Pinehurst,'' he told The Pilot. "For people to have surgery and then make them drive 30 to 40 minutes to an hour to get back to their home is a big ask."
In 2018, Pinehurst-based FirstHealth of the Carolinas, a nonprofit health system that operates four hospitals in the state, expanded services in Lee County, where it now provides primary care, urgent care and fitness services as well as emergency medical services for the county, according to the report.
Dr. Grantham said FirstHealth's expansion of services boosted Pinehurst's presence in the greater area, but most physicians affiliated with the surgical center do not have privileges at Sanford-based Central Carolina Hospital, a Duke LifePoint facility.
"As a surgical group, we have to have a place to operate to provide the high level services we provide," Dr. Grantham said. "As of now, those patients can be seen in Lee County but must come back to Moore Regional or Pinehurst Surgical Clinic in Pinehurst for surgery."
Pinehurst wants to build an ASC there for patients "needing that level of additional care." The proposed surgery center would specialize in orthopedic procedures such as knee replacement and offer overnight capabilities for those who wish to avoid staying at a hospital.
The governor's office will decide whether it will overturn the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' decision. If the decision is upheld, Pinehurst can reapply for a certificate of need in 2022.