New Physician-Owned Hospital Bill Introduced in the U.S. House
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The American Medical Association continues to be a strong proponent of lifting the existing ban on physician-owned hospitals. This week, Representatives Michael Burgess, MD (R-TX), Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), and Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) introduced H.R. 9001, the Physician Led and Rural Access to Quality Care Act. This bipartisan legislation would permit the establishment of select physician-owned hospitals that meet certain criteria. More specifically, the legislation defines a “covered rural hospital” as a physician-owned hospital that is located in a rural area and more than a 35-mile drive (or a 15-mile drive in mountainous terrain or areas with only secondary roads) from another hospital or critical access hospital. The legislation also only permits these hospitals that meet this narrow definition to expand existing physician-owned hospitals. H.R. 9001 will help foster greater competition and provide better healthcare access, especially in rural areas.
AMA strongly supports this bipartisan legislation. A copy of the legislation can be found here, and the joint House press release, which includes a quote from AMA President Bruce A. Scott, MD, can be found here.
While supportive of this compromise bill, the AMA continues to support H.R. 977, the Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act, which, led by Reps. Burgess and Henry Cuellar (D-TX), completely removes the current ban on newly constructed or expanded physician-owned hospitals.
