As health systems plan for capital projects, they may find themselves competing with other systems in nearby areas. Here are four recent turf wars reported on by Becker's.
Broward Health vs. Baptist Health South Florida
Fort Lauderdale-based Broward Health is planning to invest up to $50 million for a 150-bed hospital in Sunrise, Fla., in partnership with Hollywood, Fla.-based Memorial Healthcare System.
Coral Gables, Fla.-based Baptist Health South Florida has made a deal to purchase 25 acres in Sunrise and build a 100-bed hospital. Broward previously asked the city to delay Baptist's deal to allow it to submit a competing proposal.
Tenet Healthcare vs. Atrium Health vs. Novant Health
Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare is building Fort Mill (S.C.) Medical Center, which is expected to open later this year. The 200,000-square-foot facility is a $170 million project with 100 beds. The project was a 15-year battle that beat out Atrium and Novant.
Mass General Brigham vs. UMass Memorial Health, Wellforce, Shields Health Care Group and other competitors
Boston-based Mass General Brigham plans to construct three outpatient surgery centers through a $400 million project. The plans have raised a lot of concerns from competitors — including UMass Memorial Health, Wellforce and Shields Health Care Group — which argue the project could take their wealthiest patients, according to The Boston Globe.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has also expressed concerns over the project, saying it will raise costs and take away patients from other hospitals. But a recent analysis from Sean May, PhD, of Charles River Associates found the opposite.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center vs. Ascension
Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt was approved by the Tennessee Health Services and Development Agency to build a 42-bed, $144 million hospital in Murfreesboro in December 2021. The project would be near a planned eight-bed hospital by Murfreesboro-based Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford, which opposed the plan.
Vanderbilt said that many residents travel to Vanderbilt's Nashville location for care, passing up Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford and Smyrna-based TriStar StoneCrest Medical Center, which also opposed the plans.