ST. MARK’S RECEIVES RURAL EMERGENCY HOSPITAL DESIGNATION
The St. Mark’s Medical Center in La Grange took a major step forward in trying to keep the doors open.
St. Mark’s received federal approval for a Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation in a letter that was dated April 12 from the Medicare Administrative Contractor.
The notification stated that the designation is effective retroactive to the REH classification application date, which was February 24.
Under the REH designation, St. Mark’s receives a five percent higher Medicare reimbursement, as well as a monthly facility fee that helps to address operational cost increases including areas of labor and supplies.
The designation is part of the board of directors continued to work toward a longer term solution to continue providing health care in Fayette and Lee Counties.
St. Mark’s CEO Mark Kimball told the Fayette County Record that he is very proud of their staff and the way that they have been able to navigate the changes.
Kimball added that RN Laurie Quitta is now serving as Director of Emergency Services. She joins Emergency Services Medical Director Dr. Roger Willis in providing quality care to their patients.
Under the REH designation, St. Mark’s will be providing 24/7 emergency services, plus things like observation, laboratory, imaging and X-Rays, mammography, pharmacy, physical and occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, cardiac rehabilitation, cardiovascular imaging, wound care, and sleep study.
Good deal. Rural areas need their hospitals.
Strange thing is we didn’t have all these small hospitals closing before covid 19 and the needless lockdowns ,masks, and vax mandates. Glad they decided to keep the doors open at a really nice hospital. I hope everyone will contact your local,state and federal officials to keep this hospital active for the future as well.
“The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina tracked rural hospital closures from 2005 to 2022, and at 24, Texas logged more than any other state. It is comparable, however, to the national rate per capita.” Of those 24, 3 were in 2019 and 1 in 2020.
“There have been no Texas rural hospital closures since 2020, according to the Cecil G. Sheps Center (as of Aug. 11, 2022)”
Source: Texas Comptroller website. Published October 2022
It is false to hold the global pandemic response as the primary cause of rural hospital closures.