The area’s basic headlines 24 hours after the meeting read, ‘Hackensack University Medical Center, another step closer to reopening a community hospital.’ The State Health Planning Board (SHPB) voted 5-1 at the Nov. 29 meeting, recommending Commissioner Mary O’Dowd approve HUMC’s Certificate of Need (CN) application, in combination with the DOH staff report’s 13 recommendations. TO READ MORE, click here
December 12, 2011
November 15, 2011
The Final Step
On Nov. 29 the State’s Health Planning Board will hold its 2nd and final meeting at 9:30 AM in the East Windsor at the Holiday Inn National Conference Center, located at 399 Monmouth St. Final comments will be heard as to whether or not a new 128-bed hospital should reopen at the Pascack Valley Hospital (PVH) site in Westwood. TO READ MORE, click here
October 16, 2011
Certificate of Need, Public Hearing – Oct. 19th
The Department of Health Planning Board will hold a public hearing Wednesday, October 19th in the auditorium at Westwood Regional High School in Washington Township. Its purpose will be to hear testimony from the public as to whether a hospital of any sort is needed in Westwood. It’s a procedural activity in the Certificate of Need (CN) process. It IS NOT an assurance of any affirmative decision. TO READ MORE, click here
June 22, 2011
Is Healthcare Need Individual or Business?
To the average person ‘need’ refers to a condition or situation requiring some thing or relief in order to meet a specific necessity. Valley Hospital and Englewood Hospital Medical Center’s recent repetitious ads suggest that the healthcare needs of Pascack and Northern Valley residents should be an insurance policy—to their financial needs. Maybe if Pascack Valley Hospital’s misguided expansion had the insurance of a market area with default needs—to drive patient revenue; we wouldn’t be having this discussion. TO READ MORE, click here
May 25, 2011
New CN Call: Prima Facie or Ultra Vires
Is the foreplay over? HUMC withdrew its legal challenge over the Permit Extension Act (PEA) and its’ application to the expired PVH license. Valley and Englewood Hospital had their appellate motions, to void the DOH’s new ‘Certificate of Need’ (CN) call for a new Westwood hospital, denied. — Now what? TO READ MORE, click here
September 7, 2010
Delayed By Dissent
“It is disappointing that a small group of people, largely those who live in the hospital’s neighborhood, are attacking the village and its Planning Board to delay a project that will serve so many people of our region for years to come,” said Megan Fraser, the hospital’s spokeswoman. “After almost four years and 35 meetings that included exhaustive testimony, investigation and disclosure, the suit is an unfortunate step in the wrong direction.” — This supercilious analysis by a Valley Hospital representative is taken from a recent Record article. (Click HERE to read.) It’s a remark in response to a lawsuit brought by Ridgewood residents hoping to stop Valley Hospital’s mammoth $750 million “renewal” project. TO READ MORE, click here
October 13, 2009
Demographics and Hospital Markets (2)
“More than 90 million Americans live with at least one chronic illness, and seven out of ten Americans die from chronic disease. — For patients with chronic illnesses, geography matters.” 1 TO READ MORE, click here
October 6, 2009
Demographics and Hospital Markets (1)
There are many reasons for doing a market area analysis. The interest in defining a pre-existing hospital’s market area is to determine whether an ongoing operation represents a main source of essential services to Medicare beneficiaries or other at risk groups and to assess an institution’s ongoing viability. The process begins by measuring its product―acute care services, and then determining its geographic service area. There is any number of ways of doing it, from studying an area’s demographics, analyzing a hospital’s discharges, employing a third party designation or developing a location / customer associated parameter. TO READ MORE, click here
September 29, 2009
Hospitals, Business and Need (5)
The State’s Report projected a slower growth in the population as compared to the nation, noting a shift to an older age group in the 45-64 range. This was just one data aspect the Report considered as it assessed the State’s underlying demographics. It used demographics to evaluate the population trend, project hospital utilization, and the future of health care needs in NJ. TO READ MORE, click here
