Where do we go from here? On Oct. 13, the DHEC board will decide whether to hear the appeals. If it decides to hear the appeals, that would occur at the DHEC board's Nov. 10 meeting. The certificate of need decision can also be appealed to an Administrative Law Court judge.
Piedmont
In the usual style of Piedmont Medical Center of we don't really have a good reason, we have poor outcomes [see CMS data reports] and pay property tax [the focus of their customer support bid], Piedmont released only the cover letter of their appeal to local news outlets.
In the cover letter to its appeal, Piedmont attorneys wrote the DHEC staff decision is not “supported by the reliable, probative and substantial evidence based on the whole record before the department.”
Presbyterian
The appeal arguments provided by Presbyterian are:
- The DHEC staff incorrectly based its decision on Carolinas HealthCare System's ability to transfer its current market share in York County to a Fort Mill facility. Carolinas HealthCare cannot force patients to move to a new hospital, Presbyterian said.
- That Presbyterian better contains costs to build and operate a Fort Mill hospital than Carolinas HealthCare Systems or Piedmont Medical Center.
- DHEC failed to address quality of care.
- Presbyterian’s charity care policy is better than the other two applicants.
Personally, I believe SC DHEC addressed quality of care by not choosing Piedmont Medical Center. The recent onslaught of bad press combined by the overall bad word-of-mouth, has not made PMC a destination of choice for many new residents. Statistics provided by SC DHEC in the decision report shows that less people are going to PMC.
During a personal interview with a local Fort Mill resident about the proposed hospital choices, the resident stated "I hope Piedmont wins because they will pay property taxes." When I asked if he would use proposed Piedmont facility, his reply was "Hell No, I would go to Charlotte."
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