Frequently Asked Questions

Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center

Q: When will Spotsylvania Regional be open?

A: Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center is now open!

Q: Why did you choose Spotsylvania County for your location?

A: Spotsylvania and the surrounding region has a clear need for another hospital. Here are the facts:

• Spotsylvania is projected to be the second-fastest growing county in Virginia in the next decade.
• Over the next 10 years, the entire region is expected to have a growth rate of 50 percent, eventually reaching a population of 450,000. The population is also aging rapidly, which will drive up the demand for healthcare services.
• Even without this growth, the region currently is the most heavily populated in Virginia with only one hospital.
• Patients now leave the area to receive care at more than twice the rate seen in the rest of the state. This fact underscores the need for another hospital and shows an apparent desire by patients to have more choice in providers.
• The Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors and the Spotsylvania County Department of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Management have enthusiastically embraced our plans to build this hospital. If it is not built, the community will likely face a shortage of hospital beds and longer waits in the Emergency Room and for other services.

Q: What impact will the hospital have on traffic conditions?

A: Spotsylvania Regional improves access to hospital services for patients throughout the region and helps them avoid Fredericksburg's downtown traffic to reach Mary Washington Hospital. For patients living south of Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania Regional offers an option other than driving all the way to Richmond. The hospital is located on a 75-acre campus immediately off I-95 and the Spotsylvania Parkway, easily reachable by car from Routes 1, 2, 3, 17 and 301. In our commitment to providing convenient access, we have spent nearly $5 million to pay for off-site road improvements.

Q: Will the hospital treat poor and uninsured patients?

A: Absolutely. As with all HCA hospitals, Spotsylvania Regional is committed to treating uninsured and low-income patients with fairness and dignity. In fact, all HCA hospitals provide free care for qualified uninsured patients whose incomes are at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level and managed-care-like discounts to uninsured patients. In 2005, we provided $105 million in free charity care to patients throughout Virginia. Spotsylvania Regional will also treat Medicaid patients, as do all other HCA hospitals in Virginia.

Q: How will Spotsylvania Regional affect Mary Washington Hospital?

A: Mary Washington Hospital's own projections indicate that there will be more than enough patients to support both Mary Washington Hospital and Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center. Having a second hospital in the area will introduce competition and give patients a choice of local hospitals - a choice they currently don't have. Healthy competition between the hospitals will mean that both hospitals will be focused on providing the best possible quality of care.

Q: How will Spotsylvania Regional's status as a tax-paying hospital affect its operations?

A: All hospitals must make a profit to stay in business. Spotsylvania Regional will care for poor and uninsured patients (just like tax-exempt hospitals), generate tax revenues, and serve as a catalyst for the region's economy in these ways:

• It will create hundreds of new, good-paying, local jobs.
• It will enable patients and their families to more readily find care locally rather than seeking it outside the region.
• It will generate local, state, and federal taxes that fund schools, roads, police, fire and rescue squads and other essential service. In 2005, HCA Virginia facilities paid $113 million in taxes.
• As we do in other communities where we have hospitals, HCA Virginia will seek out opportunities to support local nonprofit organizations with financial and in-kind donations. HCA Virginia donated nearly $3 million to nonprofits in 2005.

Q: Who is HCA?

A: For the most up-to-date information about HCA (Hospital Corporation of America) visit http://www.hcahealthcare.com.  For the most recent information regarding HCA Virginia, visit http://www.hcavirginia.com.