An administrative law judge ruled on Friday in favor of a motion by Shands Jacksonville (Fla.) Medical Center and other hospitals in Jacksonville and Tampa Bay arguing that the Florida Department of Health's process for approving trauma centers is flawed, according to a report by the News Service of Florida.
The judge ruled that the process, outlined in 1992, "did not present any rational explanation of how the department determines current need for additional trauma programs," according to the report.
The ruling puts into jeopardy HCA's plans to add five trauma centers throughout the state. Shands Jacksonville objected to HCA's planned trauma center in Orange Park, Fla., saying it would lose 25 percent of its patients to the new center. HCA had planned to open the Orange Park Center on Oct. 1.
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The judge ruled that the process, outlined in 1992, "did not present any rational explanation of how the department determines current need for additional trauma programs," according to the report.
The ruling puts into jeopardy HCA's plans to add five trauma centers throughout the state. Shands Jacksonville objected to HCA's planned trauma center in Orange Park, Fla., saying it would lose 25 percent of its patients to the new center. HCA had planned to open the Orange Park Center on Oct. 1.
Related Articles on HCA's Trauma Center Expansion:
Florida's Shands Jacksonville Says New Trauma Review Process Out-DatedHCA's Plan to Create Trauma Network in Florida Meets Resistance
HCA, USF Health Sign Six Year Affiliation Agreement for Trauma Services