A Wyoming county commissioner said the physician-owned Mountain View Regional Hospital in Casper, Wyo., is holding back healthcare in the community and is the cause of Wyoming Medical Center, also in Casper, potentially losing $8 million in Medicare reimbursements, according to a Casper Star-Tribune report.
Bill McDowell, a Natrona County commissioner and former WMC board member, said in the report that "the worst thing that happened to healthcare in this community was the for-profit hospital."
WMC stands to lose millions in Medicare reimbursements because its "sole community provider" status is in the air. For a hospital to retain its "sole community provider" status, other hospitals in the area cannot have more than 8 percent of volume of inpatient days. Mountain View surpassed that mark earlier this month.
National Surgical Hospitals and local physicians own Mountain View. National Surgical Hospitals Vice President of Operations Mike Stahli said the physician-owned hospital actually benefits the area's patients and economy. "Mountain View Regional Hospital provides choice within our community," Mr. Stahli said in the report. "This choice helps to drive innovation, control costs and improve the quality of health care within our community."
He added that Mountain View employs 198 people, pays more than $250,000 in property and sales taxes per year and provides roughly $44 million in total community economic impact.
According to the report, WMC officials are waiting to hear from the CMS' Denver office on the hospital's sole community provider status, and no date has been set for a decision.
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Bill McDowell, a Natrona County commissioner and former WMC board member, said in the report that "the worst thing that happened to healthcare in this community was the for-profit hospital."
WMC stands to lose millions in Medicare reimbursements because its "sole community provider" status is in the air. For a hospital to retain its "sole community provider" status, other hospitals in the area cannot have more than 8 percent of volume of inpatient days. Mountain View surpassed that mark earlier this month.
National Surgical Hospitals and local physicians own Mountain View. National Surgical Hospitals Vice President of Operations Mike Stahli said the physician-owned hospital actually benefits the area's patients and economy. "Mountain View Regional Hospital provides choice within our community," Mr. Stahli said in the report. "This choice helps to drive innovation, control costs and improve the quality of health care within our community."
He added that Mountain View employs 198 people, pays more than $250,000 in property and sales taxes per year and provides roughly $44 million in total community economic impact.
According to the report, WMC officials are waiting to hear from the CMS' Denver office on the hospital's sole community provider status, and no date has been set for a decision.
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