West Burlington, Ia- Great River Medical Center and Fort Madison Community Hospital will apply to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for Sole Community Hospital (SCH) classification in 2021.
The SCH program was created to maintain access to needed health services for Medicare beneficiaries in rural communities by providing greater reimbursement.
Great River Health President and CEO Matt Wenzel said the goal was to make the change on July 1st.
“This rapid timeline is in response to the pandemic’s financial impact on the hospitals, and it will help ensure long-term financial sustainability for health care in southeast Iowa,” Wenzel said.
Hospitals must meet specific criteria for SCH classification, including distance from other hospitals. To meet the proximity requirement, Great River Medical Center and Fort Madison Community Hospital will become one hospital with two campuses.
The new hospital will be renamed Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center, operating under the parent corporation Great River Health.
Great River Health introduced new hospital logos earlier this year. The icon will remain the same; only the names of the hospitals will change.
In November, the Henry County Health Center Board of Trustees approved a Memorandum of Understanding to pursue an expanded lease agreement with Great River Health. If the agreement is approved by voters in March, Henry County Health Center would not be affected by this classification change. Its name and status as a Critical Access Hospital will remain the same.
