- The Honorable Beth Van Duyne
U. S. House of Representatives
1337 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515 - The Honorable Henry Cuellar
U. S. House of Representatives
2308 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representatives Van Duyne and Cuellar:
The undersigned physician organizations representing national medical societies and state medical associations write in support of H.R. 4002, the “Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2025.” This bipartisan legislation would repeal the statutory restrictions on the whole hospital exception to the Stark physician self-referral law, thereby eliminating statutory and regulatory barriers that prevent the formation or expansion of physician-owned hospitals (POHs). Our organizations strongly supported the previous version of this bill, H.R. 977 in the 118th Congress, and we are pleased to reaffirm our support in this new session.
These physician-led hospitals provide high quality care to patients and introduce much-needed competition in the health care industry. Allowing patients more choices for health care services spurs innovation, improves care quality, lowers costs, and expands access to care, particularly in underserved communities. Unfortunately, current law imposes severe restrictions on POHs, banning new physician-led hospitals and sharply limiting the ability of existing POHs to grow. These constraints have been compounded by regulatory changes made in 2022 which reversed a prior effort to ease restrictions on POHs serving Medicaid populations and further narrowed the circumstances under which expansion is allowed.
Click here to view the full Neurosurgery Supports Legislation to Lift Restrictions on Physician-Owned Hospitals
