South Carolina governor’s push to repeal health facility construction rules gets boost from Feds

South Carolina is one of dozens of states that require health facilities to get state permission for many kinds of construction and expansion projects.

Nikki Haley, the state’s governor, has been working to repeal these rules, and the federal government recently weighed in with its support. In a letter and attached statement to Haley, the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission wrote that laws requiring a certificate of need impede competition and make such projects more expensive.

"By interfering with the market forces that normally determine the supply of facilities and services, CON laws can suppress supply, misallocate resources, and shield incumbent health care providers from competition from new entrants," federal officials wrote.

State lawmakers are considering a provision that would end the certificate of need requirement in 2018. A 1974 federal law required states to enact the certificate of need process in an effort to control health care costs, but Congress repealed it 13 years later after studies showed it had little effect on cost control.

Walsh Construction, one of the largest contractors in the city of Chicago and in the United States, is leading the temporary conversion of a portion of the McCormick Place Convention Center into an Alternate Care Facility (ACF) for novel coronavirus patients. Construction on the first 500 beds was completed on April 3.

TLC Engineering Consultants' guidance on ventilation in COVID-19 patient rooms

Coronavirus | Apr 1, 2020

TLC’s Michael Sheerin offers guidance on ventilation in COVID-19 healthcare settings

Ventilation engineering guidance for COVID-19 patient rooms

Healthcare Facilities | Mar 29, 2020

A ‘roadmap’ for building hospitals in rural and underfunded markets

Hoar Construction’s formula emphasizes preconstruction planning and input from healthcare workers.

Healthcare Facilities | Mar 27, 2020

Designing healthcare for surge capacity

We believe that part of the longer-term answer lies not just with traditional health providers, but in the potential of our cities and communities to adapt and change.