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"Movin' On Up!"

Should hospitals be allowed to improve their business prospects by moving to a new neighborhood? That's the question being asked about Adventist Healthcare's plans to relocate Washington Adventist Hospital from Takoma Park, MD to White Oak.

Adventist says the move is an urgently-needed response to changing and challenging times.  Competitors say the move is really about cherry-picking higher-income patients and forcing substantial numbers of Medicaid recipients to seek care at closer hospitals already burdened by poor payer mixes.

Interesting choice: improve one hospital's financial results while adding to the stress on other providers.    The Maryland Health Care Commission will decide.

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