Launching any type of business involves risk, but health care providers face an extra hurdle in Hawaii. Before they can set up shop, they must prove to the state’s satisfaction that a need exists for their entrepreneurship.
The process adds months and sometimes years to any project, delaying options for Hawaii patients. Kahua Home Health Services had to apply twice for permission to open a home health and rehabilitation agency in Honolulu after the state rejected its initial petition in August 2021. Other applicants never clear the hurdle. Regulators told California-based Aasta Health to stay away when it tried to build a hospice in Honolulu. They told Texas-based U.S. Renal Care it could operate kidney dialysis centers on Oahu, but not on Maui or the Big Island. And SSB Mobile Diagnostic Imaging Group hit a wall when it tried to provide portable services for homebound Oahu patients.
Read Full Article »