University of Washington Medical Center v. Department of Health

¶1 Under Washington law, certain medical services can be offered only by holders of a “certificate of need” issued by the Washington State Department of Health. We are asked to decide whether the department improperly gave Swedish Medical Center a certificate of need to provide liver transplants. We conclude it did not and reinstate the health law judge’s order approving the certificate.

BACKGROUND

¶2 In 1979, our legislature accepted Congress’s invitation to regulate the number of health care providers entering the market and enacted the State Health Planning and Resources Development Act,…