The Florida Department of Health appears ready to move forward with a new proposal about divvying up trauma centers across the state, but the proposal could spur more battles in the courts and spill into the Legislature.
Department officials held a hearing Tuesday about a proposed rule that would determine how many trauma centers would be allowed in 19 separate areas of the state. DOH still wants to consider "community support" as a factor in the decision, while opponents say medical need should be the overriding concern.
The proposal comes after more than two years of hospital-industry legal fights focusing on department decisions in 2011 and 2012 that allowed new trauma centers to open in Pasco, Manatee, Marion and Clay counties.