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McLaren Health Care has filed a lawsuit in Oakland County Circuit Court to reverse a denial by the Michigan Department of Community Health of a certificate-of-need application to build a new $303 million hospital in Independence Township.
Over the past 18 months, Flint-based McLaren has been going through the state CON process while trying to bypass Community Health and garner legislative support for a bill to build the new hospital.
Under its original February 2012 CON, McLaren asked to move 200 unused beds from its McLaren Oakland Hospital in Pontiac to a new hospital it plans to build on an 80-acre tract it owns in Independence Township.
Community Health rejected McLaren's CON in June 2012. The 10-hospital system then filed an administrative appeal that was turned down in March. Community Health made its final decision to reject the new hospital in May.
On June 13, McLaren filed a claim of appeal before Judge Colleen O'Brien in Oakland County Circuit Court.
"The argument we raised in the appeal is that the (CON) standards are not valid. The standards apply to an existing hospital and we are proposing a new hospital," said Greg Lane, McLaren's chief administrative officer.
"We also believe Community Health has a right to look at demonstrated need beyond the standards if there is a need. We have support for a new hospital from the community and we have proved the need...