Tenn. fight pits HCA against public hospitals

Two small public hospitals are fighting tooth and nail to keep HCA out of their Tennessee service area. Williamson Medical Center and Maury Regional Medical Center have together spent over $60,000 in ads to fight HCA's certificate-of-need application for a 56-bed hospital in nearby Spring Hill. The money has gone for billboard advertising and to retain PR firms to help the effort. HCA has responded with a $44,000 marketing expenditure in support of the CON, including a color-brochure mailing and a free pancake breakfast. A preliminary review by the state health department, which issues CONs, says there's a surplus of 135 beds in Maury and Williamson counties, and that's slated to grow to 180 when Williamson Medical Center completes an expansion in 2007.

- read this article from Tennessean.com for more

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