Cash-strapped Greenwood (Miss.) Leflore Hospital is due to file for critical access designation within the next few days, the hospital's CEO told Becker's Healthcare.
The hospital, which is accepting public donations to help keep the doors open, is hopeful of a decision on the designation by the fall, said Gary Marchand, interim CEO.
Such a designation is available for small rural hospitals and enables them to receive larger federal funds through such programs as cost-based Medicare reimbursement.
Separately, the hospital does not yet know what portion of the proposed $80 million in funding for Mississippi hospitals will come to it, Mr. Marchand added. State lawmakers have to reconcile different proposals on funding before any specific allocations are made, Mr. Marchand said.
House representatives have approved $80 million in funding for hospitals, as has the state senate, but any final proposals are still making their way through the legislative process. Such funding has been described by some lawmakers as a "Band-Aid" solution.
Greenwood Leflore has so far received approximately $12,150 in public donations, said Christine Hemphill, the hospital's director of foundation, marketing and communications.