"Absent a Hail Mary, Glenn County's only hospital is set to close its doors in October. Tucked between two national forests, the rural county is home to 28,000 people. Without a local emergency room, they'll instead have to travel at least 40 minutes to a neighboring county for critical care. One hundred and fifty health workers will lose their jobs; they're already resigning to seek work elsewhere."
"The planned closure of Glenn Medical Center follows a decision by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to strip the hospital's federal "critical access" designation, a status that has provided Glenn Medical increased reimbursement and regulatory flexibility. Without that status, the hospital's $28 million in net annual revenue will take a hit of about 40% - a gap too large to fill any other way than closing the hospital, said Lauren Still, the hospital's chief executive."
Glenn Medical Center will close in October after the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services stripped its federal 'critical access' designation for failing to meet a revised distance requirement. The rural county's 28,000 residents will lose local emergency care and must travel at least 40 minutes to neighboring counties for critical services. The hospital's $28 million net annual revenue will decline by about 40%, prompting closure. One hundred and fifty health workers face job loss and many have already resigned. Hospital leadership sought reversal, including lobbying in Washington, D.C., but revenue loss and regulatory changes made continued operation untenable.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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