Hospitals Battle With Competing Health Care Proposals

Mid Coast Hospital recently proposed a new $3.5 million urgent care and diagnostic center as an alternative to a proposed alliance with Parkview and Central Maine Medical Center (CMMC) made earlier this year.

In an effort to overcome financial challenges and ensure a continued ability to meet current and future community health care needs, Parkview announced their plans to join forces with CMMC in June '08. However, Mid Coast hospital contends they are prepared to meet the health care needs of the entire mid-coast region with a plan that will cost an estimated $18.5 million per year less than what it would cost CMMC to continue to operate Parkview hospital.

Parkview officials called Midcoast's assertion "absurd" saying that Midview's proposed urgent care and diagnostic center isn't about integrating care and saving the community money - it's about trying to run Parkview out of business.

According to health care financial analysts, the battle between these two hospitals comes as no surprise. Before Mid Coast built their current hospital, it was in the courts for four years being fought out between them and Parkview.