Certificate of Need Bill Passes State House

by Birmingham Medical News

Legislation streamlining the CON process passed the Alabama House of Representatives on March 15, and has been forwarded to the state senate for consider.

House Bill 370 was sponsored by Representative Mary Sue McClurkin (R) of Pelham, who represents District 43 in Jefferson and Shelby counties.

“The bill sends appeals directly to the Court of Civil Appeals rather than requiring them to go through Circuit Court,” McClurkin said. “Our goal is to speed the process to help future applicants get a definite answer faster without burdening providers and their patients with the expense of a long series of legal battles.”

Unlike legislation proposed by McClurkin last year, this bill does not have a retroactive provision. It would apply only to future CON applications, which could make it more likely to pass the senate and become law.  It would not affect the outcome of Trinity Medical Center’s plan to move to Highway 280, which has been hotly contested by Brookwood Medical Center and St. Vincent’s.

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