Emporia, Kan.-based Newman Regional Health has filed a request to change the zoning code with the area planning commission in an effort to prevent Topeka, Kan.-based Stormont-Vail Hospital from building an ASC, according to an Oct. 31 report from KVOE.
The Emporia-Lyon County Metropolitan Area Planning Commission will hear the special request on Nov. 21. If Stormont-Vail's original ASC plan goes through, it will result in $7 million in lost revenue annually for Newman, a spokesperson told the news outlet.
The ASC would duplicate services already offered by Newman, including cardiology, a cath lab, gastrointestinal lab, endoscopy and orthopedics procedures.
The spokesperson for Newman said the number of patients in the area is not large enough to support both systems, and a new competing facility would cause a rapid decline in cash on hand for the hospital.
Representatives from Stormont-Vail held a meeting with Newman leaders to share views on healthcare trends, strategic efforts and Stormont's intent to expand, according to the report.
The proposed zoning change would require Stormont-Vail, and other systems considering ASCs in the area, to request conditional use permits. Community hospitals and medical or dental offices or labs not considered as licensed medical facilities would need planned unit development requests.
This would also mandate prospective facility owners to detail the nature and extent of services, the extent of services already being provided in the area and how current services are inadequate to meet needs of the community.
Should planning commissions deem the services as "duplicative," permits will be denied. Zoning law change requests have previously been used to block other health systems from constructing facilities in Lawrence and Newton, Kan.
Stormont-Vail believes that such a zoning plan would "effectively limit the options of a longtime community resource for expanding its service offerings," according to the report.