In an email to employees, Fisherville, Va.-based Augusta Health CEO Mary Mannix said a bill that would deregulate the certificate of public need requirement, currently under consideration by state legislators, could be "very devastating to Augusta Health," reports News Leader.
A certificate of public need requires hospitals and other healthcare providers to acquire state approval prior to building medical facilities and offering services. The bill to deregulate the practice is up for debate in the Virginia House of Delegates Feb. 12, and a final vote in the chamber is expected the following day.
In her email to employees, Ms. Mannix said eliminating the certificate of public need would reduce Augusta Health profits and force the hospital to "make a really wrenching decision about reducing or eliminating services and becoming a smaller health system with less service offerings," according to News Leader.
"This means we would also not be the employer we are today in terms of size, competitiveness of salary and benefits, and the overall culture of service that we all know and value today," Ms. Mannix's email continued.
The bill has been largely denounced by hospitals and health systems across the state. The VirginiaHospital and Healthcare Association has spent $200,000 on an ad campaign designed to raise opposition to the bill.