The First District Court of Appeals rejected a request to rehear the legal battle over two trauma centers in Manatee and Pasco Counties.
The Florida Department of Health allowed both HCA-affiliated facilities — Blake Medical Center and Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point – to open in 2011, although an administrative law judge ruled the agency applied an invalid rule when approving the trauma centers.
The DOH later denied an attempt by four hospitals to challenge the approval — Tampa General, St. Joseph’s in Tampa, Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg and Jacksonville’s UF Health. The Tampa Bay and Jacksonville hospitals have established trauma centers, and argued that the new facilities could draw off physicians and patients.
The health care facilities claimed the trauma centers did not have legal standing, according to the News Service of Florida.
Last month, a three-judge appeals court panel overruled the department’s denial and said challenges could move to the state Division of Administrative Hearings.
After the decision, attorneys for the trauma centers sought a rehearing, basing the request on two questions to be decided the Florida Supreme Court — a process called certifying questions of “great public importance.”
Last week, the First District Court denied both the rehearing and certification requests, based on online dockets reported in the News Service.
