There has been national attention to a recent proposal change in qualifying rules for Medicare’s designation of “Critical Access Hospitals” by the Department of Health and Human Service’s inspector general.

At the recent Greene County Medical Center Board of Trustees meeting, Chief Executive Officer Carl Behne told the Board that he and Chief Financial Officer Mark VanderLinden have been following the discussions in relation to rural hospitals like the medical center.

VanderLinden noted the current criteria to be a CAH includes providing 24-7 emergency care, providing no more than 25 inpatient beds for both inpatient and swing bed services; having an average length of stay of 96 hours or less; and being more than a 35-mile drive from the nearest hospital or being certified as a CAH prior to January 1, 2006, based on state designation as a “necessary provider.”  He said Greene County Medical Center meets all the criteria when using its CAH certification date of August 1, 2001.

The one area of concern in the change recommendation was the “35-mile drive from the nearest hospital” stipulation.  Other hospitals within 35 miles of GCMC are in Carroll, Perry, Guthrie Center and Lake City.

Behne said a change in the designation as a CAH would affect GCMC financially but he doesn’t see it jeopardizing the future of the hospital in terms of providing state-of-the-art equipment for healthcare needs.