Nearly a year and a half has gone by since Central Maine Medical Center was put on notice by the state demanding the hospital open its doors to outside heart doctors or risk losing the certificate of need. DHS Commissioner Concannon said at that time he would exercise broad authority under a new law that would allow him to hold CMMC accountable in making its heart center accessible to all patients and their doctors.

From my recent experience – having had open heart surgery – my choices were very limited at the time. I was admitted to St. Mary’s for a simple angioplasty. My cardiologist assured me there was nothing to it. As it turned out, my condition was more serious and I was taken by ambulance to Portland – my doctor didn’t want anything to do with CMMC. Where were my choices?

Why can’t the local hospitals cut out the nonsense and let the doctors share their knowledge so that patients can choose where they want to go and still be seen by the doctor of their choice?

Patients deserve the right to choose doctors and hospitals, not just for safety, but also for the convenience of local care. Travel and boarding expenses for loved ones can add up when a local patient has to be treated at a distant hospital.

Joe Voisine, Lewiston