At page 564 We have determined to stand with the vast majority of courts of appeals and hold that the receipt of Hill-Burton construction funding, Medicare and Medicaid funds, and the existence of tax exemption, as well as state licensing requirements for nonprofit hospitals, do not constitute state action un…9 citing cases
- McKinney v. West End Voluntary Ambulance Ass'n, 821 F. Supp. 1013 (E.D. Pa. 1992).publishedSee Krieger v. Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad, 599 F.Supp. 770, 773 (D.Md.1984) (rescue or ambulance sendee is not a public function), aff'd without opinion, 792 F.2d 139 (4th Cir.1986); Eggleston v. Prince Edward Volunteer Rescue Squad…
- White v. Moses Taylor Hosp., 763 F. Supp. 776 (M.D. Penn. 1991).published See, e.g., Loh-Seng Yo v. Cibola General Hosp., 706 F.2d 306, 308 (10th Cir.1983); Modaber v. Culpeper Memorial Hosp., Inc., 674 F.2d 1023 , 1026 (4th Cir.1982); Newsom v. Vanderbilt University, 653 F.2d 1100, 1115 (6th Cir.1981); Hodge v.…
- Dr. Eileen T. MENDEZ, Plaintiff, Appellant, v. Dr. Robert BELTON, Presbyterian Hosp., Et Al., Defendants, Appellees, 739 F.2d 15 (1st Cir. 1984).publishedEvery circuit that has addressed the issue has decided that extensive government regulation and the receipt of Hill-Burton construction funds, Medicare and Medicaid funds, and tax-exempt status do not transform an otherwise private hospita…
- Loh-Seng Yo, M.D. v. Cibola Gen. Hosp., 706 F.2d 306 (10th Cir. 1983).publishedSee, e.g., Modaber v. Culpeper Memorial Hospital, 674 F.2d 1023 , 1026 (4th Cir.1982); Newsom v. Vanderbilt University, 653 F.2d 1100, 1115 (6th Cir.1981); Hodge v. Paoli Memorial Hospital, 576 F.2d 563, 564 (3d Cir.1978); Schlein v. Milfo…
- Cardio-Med. Assocs., Ltd v. Crozer-Chester Med. Ctr., 536 F. Supp. 1065 (E.D. Pa. 1982).published O’Neill v. Grayson County War Memorial Hospital, 472 F.2d 1140 (6th Cir. 1973); Chiaffitelli v. Dettmer Hospital, Inc., 437 F.2d 429 (6th Cir. 1971); Meredith v. Allen County War Memorial Hospital Commission, 397 F.2d 33 (6th Cir. 1968); S…
- Modaber v. Culpeper Mem'l Hosp., Inc., 674 F.2d 1023 (4th Cir. 1982).publishedSee Musso v. Suriano, 586 F.2d 59, 62-63 (7th Cir. 1978) cert. denied 440 U.S. 971 (1979); Hodge v. Paoli Memorial Hospital, 576 F.2d 563, 564 (3d Cir. 1978) (per curiam ), Schlien v. Milford Hospital, Inc., 561 F.2d 427, 429 (2d Cir. 1977…
- Robinson v. Magovern, 456 F. Supp. 1000 (W.D. Pa. 1978).publishedIn Hodge v. Paoli Memorial Hospital, 576 F.2d 563, 564 (3rd Cir. 1978) (per curiam), a panel of the Court consisting of Circuit Judges Hunter and Weis, and District Judge Cohen, aligned itself with the majority of the Courts of Appeals in…
- Owusu Ansagh v. Upmc Med. Ctr., No. 2:24-cv-01302 (W.D. Pa. Aug. 8, 2025).(We have determined to stand with the vast majority of courts of appeals and hold that the receipt of Hill-Burton construction funding, Medicare and Medicaid funds, and the existence of tax exemption, as well as state l…)
- Kovalev, S. v. Jefferson Health - Ne., No. 2974 EDA 2023 (Pa. Super. Ct. May 21, 2025).unpublished(the (the receipt receipt of Hill-Burton Hi!-Burton construction funding, Medicare and Medicaid funds, and the existence of a a tax exemption, exemption, as well as state licensing requirements for requirements nonprofit…)
At page 563 OPINION OF THE COURT PER CURIAM: This appeal represents another of the recurring attempts to invoke federal court jurisdiction in resolving disputes between…1 citing case
- Davenport v. Saint Mary Hosp., 633 F. Supp. 1228 (E.D. Pa. 1986).publishedSee, e.g., Cardio-Medical, 536 F.Supp. at 1091 (no nexus between the state and the hospital’s denial of privileges to plaintiff cardiologists); see also RendellBaker, 457 U.S. at 841-42, 102 S.Ct. at 2771-72 (challenged employment decision…
Other citing cases
- Brandt v. St. Vincent Infirmary, 701 S.W.2d 103 (Ark. 1985).published
- Wagenseller v. Scottsdale Mem'l Hosp., 714 P.2d 412 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1984).published
- Clair v. Centre Cmty. Hosp., 463 A.2d 1065 (Pa. 1983).published
- Lane v. Jefferson Health Care, Inc., 455 F. Supp. 1168 (E.D. Pa. 1978).published
- Schneller v. Crozer Chester Med. Ctr., 387 F. App'x 289 (3d Cir. 2010).unpublished
v.
PAOLI MEMORIAL HOSPITAL Et Al., Appellees
OPINION OF THE COURT
PER CURIAM:This appeal represents another of the recurring attempts to invoke federal court jurisdiction in resolving disputes between physicians and private hospitals. The plaintiff, a surgeon, alleges his staff privileges and office lease at the Paoli Memorial Hospital, Chester, Pennsylvania, were terminated without due process of law and in denial of equal protection. He brought suits under 42 U.S.C. (j 1983, contending that because the nonprofit hospital corporation had received funds under the Hill-Burton Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 291 et seq., is tax exempt, and receives other benefits from the state, its[*564] activity constitutes state action. The district court dismissed the complaints for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. We affirm.
Physicians’ efforts to invoke Hill-Burton funding as a basis for a § 1983 claim have been a fruitful source of litigation. The majority of circuits have held the receipt of Hill-Burton funds, Medicare and Medicaid payments, and the usual hospital licensing provisions do not constitute state action. Schlein v. Milford Hospital, Inc., 561 F.2d 427 (2d Cir. 1977); Greco v. Orange Memorial Hospital Corporation, 513 F.2d 873 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 423 U.S. 1000, 96 S.Ct. 433, 46 L.Ed.2d 376 (1975); Jackson v. Norton-Children’s Hospitals, Inc., 487 F.2d 502 (6th Cir. 1973), cert. denied, 416 U.S. 1000, 94 S.Ct. 2413, 40 L.Ed.2d 776 (1974); Doe v. Bellin Memorial Hospital, 479 F.2d 756 (7th Cir. 1973); Briscoe v. Bock, 540 F.2d 392 (8th Cir. 1976); Watkins v. Mercy Medical Center, 520 F.2d 894 (9th Cir. 1975); Ward v. St. Anthony Hospital, 476 F.2d 671 (10th Cir. 1973). The Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has espoused a contrary view, originating in the case of Simkins v. Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, 323 F.2d 959 (4th Cir. 1963), cert. denied, 376 U.S. 938, 84 S.Ct. 793, 11 L.Ed.2d 659 (1964), in which a claim of racial discrimination was asserted. That court extended the principle to situations involving medical staff privileges. See, e. g., Duffield v. Charleston Area Medical Center, Inc., 503 F.2d 512 (4th Cir. 1974).
The district court holdings in this circuit have followed the majority view. See, e. g., Sament v. Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital, 413 F.Supp. 434 (E.D.Pa.1976); aff’d mem., 547 F.2d 1164 (3d Cir. 1977); Acosta v. Tyrone Hospital, 410 F.Supp. 1275 (W.D.Pa.1976); Hoberman v. Lock Haven Hospital, 377 F.Supp. 1178 (M.D.Pa.1974); Ozlu v. Lock Haven Hospital, 369 F.Supp. 285 (M.D.Pa.1974), aff’d mem., 511 F.2d 1395 (3d Cir. 1975); Slavcoff v. Harrisburg Polyclinic Hospital, 375 F.Supp. 999 (M.D. Pa.1974). An exception is Citta v. Delaware Valley Hospital, 313 F.Supp. 301 (E.D. Pa.1970), which in the absence of any precedent from this court followed the rule espoused by the Fourth Circuit.
We have determined to stand with the vast majority of courts of appeals and hold that the receipt of Hill-Burton construction funding, Medicare and Medicaid funds, and the existence of tax exemption, as well as state licensing requirements for nonprofit hospitals, do not constitute state action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. We do not meet the situation in other cases where other considerations may merit a different approach. Cf. Holton v. Crozer-Chester Medical Center, 560 F.2d 575 (3d Cir. 1977).
The judgment of the district court will be affirmed.