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May 27, 2008

State panel says "no" to hospital projects

A state panel that evaluates hospital construction projects last week recommended the rejection of expansion plans at three Maine hospitals.

The staff at the state Certificate of Need Unit, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services that decides if hospitals can expand or renovate, last Thursday issued a report recommending the rejection of $311 million worth of expansion plans at St. Mary's Hospital in Lewiston, Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor and Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

The Certificate of Need Unit made the followig comments about the proposals: It said St. Mary's didn't fully explain why its proposed new operating room would meet public need; that EMMC may not have enough money to complete an expanded inpatient facility; and that CMMC didn't explain how its new emergency room and lab would improve patient care and lower health care costs.

Once the notices appear as public notices in newspaper, the hospitals have 10 days to modify their plans or contest the decision. Then, the state will make a final decision.

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