Physician-owners still on defensive

Although physicians who invest in their own hospitals caught a break when Congress declined to pass a bill that included a series of controversial restrictions, supporters of physician-owned hospitals say the battle is far from over. The supporters are urging physician entrepreneurs to prepare to fight for their survival in 2008. The failed bill called for a closure of a loophole in a law that allows physicians to self-refer to their own hospitals and the ability for existing physician-owned hospitals to expand.