Hospitals cry foul on GA decision

York County is one of South Carolina's fastest-growing areas, so no one questioned the need for more hospital beds in the region. However, critics do question the state's Department of Health and Environmental Control's decision to grant Tenet Healthcare--the owner of the county's only hospital--permission to build a 100-bed facility. Now the U.S. Department of Justice will examine how the state went about issuing a Certificate of Need to Piedmont Medical Center. Four providers, including Hospital Partners of America (HPA), applied to build a hospital in the area. "Hospital Partners believes it and the other Charlotte-based hospitals were excluded from being considered because of their location. The alleged home-state advantage has angered the North Carolina hospitals, who spent millions on the long and costly permit process." Representatives for HPA and another chain that was overlooked for the contract say that South Carolina's preferential treatment limits competition in the state.

For details on the hospital debate:
- read this article from The State
- or check out the article from The Herald

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