The issue all started on December 13 when the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals said the Georgia Department of Community Health put in place a rule that the alliance is calling simply illegal.

Tom Hopkins says that if he had to have surgery he would rather have it be in a hospital.

"I would prefer the hospital due to the fact that the care that's available there as opposed to an ambulatory. I've worked in an ambulatory center once before and it's quite a difference in the both of them," said Valdosta resident Tom Hopkins.

Now, general surgeons in Georgia can establish free-standing ambulatory centers without going through the state's "certificate of need" process which is required of hospitals. The alliance says more ambulatory centers means hospitals will suffer financially.

"The new rule is bad policy for Georgia because it's going to wind up harming Georgia's hospitals by pulling revenues away from the hospitals that hospitals use to provide care to all Georgians," says Valdosta Leo Reichert.

Some residents we spoke with said they had no problem with the new rule.

"As long as they are a qualified doctor and they can perform it in an outpatient scenario then there shouldn't be a problem with that," said Valdosta resident Stephen Olivia.

We contacted the Georgia Department of Community Health and a spokesperson said "The board of Community Health has the legal authority to make or change rules according to Georgia law."

The Department says it has not been served legal papers yet, but when it receives them, the Department will not be able to comment due to pending litigation.

The Georgia Attorney General's office says it also have not been served with papers.