More health care facilities are in the pipeline for Lebanon.

Two of three Middle Tennessee certificate of need applications on the agenda were approved by the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission Wednesday.

The unanimous green light was given to Vanderbilt Health Services’ $71.87 million joint venture for a 40-bed inpatient rehabilitation facility in Lebanon, and to HCA Healthcare (NYSE: HCA) for the $15.87 million renovation of an existing facility in Lebanon into an ambulatory surgery center. 

Highpoint Health – Sumner with Ascension Saint Thomas, a joint venture between Ascension Saint Thomas and Lifepoint Health, did not get approval to establish a satellite hospital at its freestanding emergency room location in Gallatin after an hours-long battle with HCA’s TriStar Division.

In the 5:3 vote, commissioners cited failure to prove need, unmet criteria and conflicting consensus as reasons to not approve the application.

So far this year, there have been numerous certificate of need applications on the outskirts of Nashville, aimed at addressing health care fast growing areas like Gallatin, Lebanon and Clarksville. 

Gallatin satellite hospital

Highpoint Health — Sumner with Ascension Saint Thomas, owned by the entities’ joint venture Highpoint Health, failed to obtain a certificate of need for a $19.7 million, 16-bed satellite hospital in Gallitin Wednesday. 

The satellite hospital would have been built on 30 acres of land the joint venture currently owns at 225 Big Station Camp Blvd. and utilize the existing free-standing emergency department on the property. 

The sixteen beds would have been relocated from the main campus at 555 Hartsville Pike to the satellite hospital so they would have been included in the hospital’s current and approved bed distribution. 

HCA Healthcare’s TriStar Division leaders called the project “misleading,” citing plans submitted that labeled the expansion as “phase one.” If the certificate of need had been approved, then the satellite hospital would not have needed another certificate to expand bed numbers, commissioners said. 

Lebanon inpatient rehabilitation facility 

Rehabilitation Hospital of Lebanon, which is owned and operated through a joint venture with Encompass Health Lebanon Holdings and Vanderbilt Health Services, received unanimous approval for its facility Wednesday.

The 40-bed facility will be at an unaddressed site on Yellowstone Road in Barton Village Development, near 541 Barton Creek Road. The services areas for the facility will be Macon, Smith, Trousdale and Wilson counties. Encompass Health Lebanon holdings will own 95% and Vanderbilt Health Services will own 5%, according to the meeting agenda. 

Lebanon Center for Outpatient Surgery

TriStar Summit Hospital Outpatient Department will be converted into an ambulatory surgery center after receiving unanimous approval Wednesday.

The ambulatory outpatient surgery center will be at 125 Wilard Hagan Dr. and will span 17,350 square feet with two operating rooms and one procedure room. It will provide general surgery, ENT surgery, GI and endoscopy, orthopedic surgery, total joint replacement, orthopedic spine surgery, podiatry and pain management procedures.

The service area for the facility is Wilson County and will be owned by Lebanon Surgicenter LLC, whose parent company is HCA Healthcare, according to the meeting agenda. Physicians on staff at the facility will be able to collectively become up to 49% owners of the center. Each individual can own up to 5%.