Saint Anthony Hospital, a 151-bed safety-net facility that primarily cares for the poor and minority population in southwest and west Chicago, has launched a campaign against the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, saying the state has unlawfully withheld supplemental Medicaid payments owed to the hospital.
Saint Anthony created a website, www.fightforfaircare.org, to bring attention to the plight of Chicago's safety-net hospitals. Specifically, the hospital said HFS has withheld supplemental Medicaid payments since August because the hospital was not in compliance with the SMART Act, which requires hospitals to participate in a coordinated care program to received those Medicaid payments.
Saint Anthony President and CEO Guy Medaglia said the hospital is in compliance, and the state is making an "unlawful" and "counterintuitive" interpretation of the legislation. In addition, he said HFS is targeting safety-net hospitals to save on Medicaid costs when "budget reductions of this dramatic nature cannot be withstood by most safety-net hospitals," according to a news release.
"The budget of the State of Illinois cannot be balanced on the backs of the underserved," Mr. Medaglia said. "The people of Illinois are tired of this and are ready to hold the administration responsible to the promises they've made."
Saint Anthony Hospital was one of seven organizations — part of the Association of Safety-Net Hospitals — that petitioned for lower Medicaid cuts within Illinois earlier this year.
Saint Anthony created a website, www.fightforfaircare.org, to bring attention to the plight of Chicago's safety-net hospitals. Specifically, the hospital said HFS has withheld supplemental Medicaid payments since August because the hospital was not in compliance with the SMART Act, which requires hospitals to participate in a coordinated care program to received those Medicaid payments.
Saint Anthony President and CEO Guy Medaglia said the hospital is in compliance, and the state is making an "unlawful" and "counterintuitive" interpretation of the legislation. In addition, he said HFS is targeting safety-net hospitals to save on Medicaid costs when "budget reductions of this dramatic nature cannot be withstood by most safety-net hospitals," according to a news release.
"The budget of the State of Illinois cannot be balanced on the backs of the underserved," Mr. Medaglia said. "The people of Illinois are tired of this and are ready to hold the administration responsible to the promises they've made."
Saint Anthony Hospital was one of seven organizations — part of the Association of Safety-Net Hospitals — that petitioned for lower Medicaid cuts within Illinois earlier this year.
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