Our Take: CON reform is just what the rural doctor ordered

Rural Georgia is standing at a crossroads. The decisions our leaders make now is going to determine if our community can stay viable into the future. 

We’ve had some good news recently on the economic front here in Dublin, Laurens County. There is a lot of activity as far as new business construction large and small, anchored by the Hwashin manufacturing facility. There is big hope that the prospect of a good job soon will not only help keep our young people here but attract families to put down roots in our towns and neighborhoods, thus leading to steady increase in our population. 

Such developments are also highlighting areas that need more improvement. To get people to come to Dublin and stay in Dublin, we need a more robust entertainment and retail sector (let’s keep those hard-earned dollars circulating locally), further improvements to our schools and better access to housing, child care and health care. 

 A new state law, recently signed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp aims to help rural communities with healthcare access. House Bill 1339 majorly reforms the state’s Certificate of Need, or CON, laws. The decades old statute, enacted in 1979, aims to protect healthcare facilities by limiting the duplication of services from nearby practices. In the end though, it has hurt consumers, particularly in rural settings, forcing patients to drive miles to seek medical care. 

Dublin is fortunate to be a regional healthcare hub. Centered around Fairview Park Hospital, a for-profit facility operated by HCA Healthcare Inc., and the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center, we have better access than other cities of similar size. On top of that, doctors of a variety of specialties maintain an office or keep appointments locally. 

But even with the medical infrastructure we have, choice of providers is limited or non-existent, and many people still must travel to Macon or Vidalia for care. It is even more limited for residents in the surrounding counties.

The new CON measure will streamline the process for existing facilities to expand, offer new services and bring in new equipment. New hospital facilities serving rural areas will be exempt from the CON restrictions if they provide emergency room services, indigent care, accept substance abuse and psychiatric patients or provide training programs for future health-care providers. 

The hope is that the reforms improve patient outcomes and balance the market by giving consumers greater choice. When passing the bill lawmaker expressed intent to reexamine it to see if it was beneficial. 

We hope this change is successful not only for helping local patients but preparing for future population growth that will need more healthcare choice and access. For now, we think it’s just what the rural doctor ordered.