Business
Pa. physician-owned hospital to close
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted March 28, 2005
Six months of physician leadership couldn't save a Philadelphia hospital. Women's Medical Hospital, formerly known as MCP Hospital, announced March 9 that it would close its doors as soon as patients could be safely discharged or transferred. The closure was blamed on insufficient patient volume.
"While we had hopes of rebuilding this community hospital with its rich heritage, there just wasn't enough patient revenue to support and maintain operation of an acute care facility," said Nancy J. Pickering, MD, chief executive of the hospital, in a written statement.
Dr. Pickering, a cardiologist, and a group led by physicians bought the facility in August 2004 from Tenet Healthcare Corp. The move was a last-ditch effort to save the hospital after Tenet had slated it to close citing mounting financial losses.
Lawmakers including Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell had gotten involved in the effort to keep the hospital open. In a written statement, the governor expressed his regret that the historic facility would close.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/03/28/bibf0328.htm.
