Montgomery, Ala., Abortion Clinic To Reopen With Probationary License

The Montgomery, Ala.-based abortion clinic Reproductive Health Services is scheduled to reopen with a probationary license after it was closed in August because of operation violations cited by health inspectors, state health officer Don Williamson said Tuesday, the AP/Northwestern Alabama Times Daily reports (Hunter, AP/Northwestern Alabama Times Daily, 9/19). The clinic in an Aug. 2 inspection was found to have violated a 2003 Alabama Department of Public Health guideline that requires clinics to have a physician with admitting privileges at a local hospital to replace on-staff doctors when they are away. According to inspectors, the clinic had been operating without a backup physician for about a year. A hearing in the case originally was scheduled for Sept. 18, but health officials postponed it last week after clinic administrators presented them with a correction strategy (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 9/19). Health inspectors also cited the clinic for inadequate record keeping and follow-up care for patients, the AP/Times Daily reports. Williamson on Tuesday approved a four-page agreement to suspend the revocation proceedings. He also said the clinic agreed to several unscheduled visits by inspectors over the next year that will help decide whether the facility is permitted to continue operating. According to Williamson, RHS administrators agreed to comply with the revised regulations and yielded to the department their due process rights if one of the new regulations is violated during the probationary period. Officials on Wednesday at the state board of health's monthly meeting are scheduled to present revisions to regulations for state health facilities, the AP/Times Daily reports (AP/Northwestern Alabama Times Daily, 9/19).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.