County officials discussed a proposed amendment to the county’s emergency‑department funding agreement with Freeman, which staff said is intended to bridge a billing/waiver issue while Freeman secures Medicaid and Medicare approvals required to open and bill for services.

Staff explained that Freeman requested a short extension of the agreement — described in the meeting as taking the agreement from its current expiry on Sept. 3 to Dec. 3 — to allow the provider to obtain necessary state and federal approvals and resolve billing changes for Medicaid and Medicare. The county also received a written item from KDHE (Kansas Department of Health and Environment) noting survey/licensing activity and that KDHE will be scheduling a licensure survey on September 3. Staff said Freeman would continue to receive existing tax‑based payments under the terms of the agreement while they await the approvals needed to bill Medicaid/Medicare.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the scope of the amendment, whether the agreement simply required quarterly itemized accountings, and who on the county should receive those materials. Commissioners agreed to table action on the Freeman amendment to the commission’s next meeting so they and county counsel could review the KDHE communication, the draft amendment, and the proposed extension timeline. Staff said the agreement as drafted permits extensions for good cause shown and that staff would collect the requested documents and schedule the item for the next meeting.