Llano (Texas) County Memorial Hospital is applying for a critical access designation that would allow the rural hospital to reduce its financial vulnerability through increased Medicare reimbursement, according to DailyTrib.com.
The application comes as Llano County Memorial prepares to part ways with Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White. An operating agreement between the two organizations expires at the end of 2020, with no renewal planned. Baylor Scott & White has managed Llano County Memorial for the past 10 years, according to the news site.
Part of the reason the contract isn't being renewed is due to the rural hospital's finances, according to the news site. El Campo, Texas-based MidCoast Health System is vying to take over management of Llano County Memorial.
Llano County Memorial is working with a tight deadline for its critical access application as the operating contract deadline approaches. Under the designation process, a third-party contractor helping the hospital has up to 45 days to review the application, followed by an up to 45-day state review and another up to 60-day review from CMS.
"We're still pressing against that December 31 deadline. Hopefully, we can have some sort of determination before that," Brett Fuller, an accountant working with LCHA, told DailyTrib.com. "I do know that at least the communications with CMS have been positive at least in expediting their review."
Read the full report here.