Plans to construct the Southern Orthopedic Center in Montgomery, Ala., have been paused by the state's certificate of need board, WSFA 12 reported Nov. 20.
According to the report, the board has tabled the decision for a month and has asked Southern Orthopedic and the parties that oppose it, Birmingham, Ala.-based Baptist Health and Jackson Hospital, to work toward a resolution.
"As charged by the State Health Planning and Development Agency-Certificate of Need Board of Directors we look forward to working together with Southern Orthopedic Surgeons to determine the best possible outcomes for all involved—most importantly our patients and community," Baptist Health said in a statement to WSFA.
On Nov. 15, a judge ruled in favor of Southern Orthopedics plans to build the center, which would have six operating rooms and two procedure rooms. It would also be equipped with a surgical robot for joint replacements.
"We had come to Baptist originally to try to partner with them on this project and that had not worked out and so we felt we needed to do it on our own because we thought it was very important for Montgomery," Ronald Hester, MD, an orthopedic surgeon with Southern Orthopedic Surgeons, told WSFA. "This is something that we think will be good for the people of Montgomery, for healthcare of Montgomery."