Grant County hospital seeks $5.7 million for new linear accelerator, will pursue legislation

Grant County Regional Medical Center (GRMC) told the county commission on Jan. 8 that it plans to pursue state legislative funding to replace its cancer center’s linear accelerator, a critical piece of radiation-oncology equipment.

“It's about $5,700,000 for the equipment for a linear accelerator,” GRMC CEO Robert Whitaker said, describing a vendor quote and the hospital’s plan to move a draft bill through the current legislative session after consulting lobbyists and local legislators. Whitaker introduced John Nadone as the hospital’s new chief financial officer and said the hospital is preparing committee outreach to secure the funding.

Whitaker also reported operational trends: admissions and outpatient visits were up year over year for November, uncompensated care has increased (he cited about $11.7 million year-to-date), and Medicare Advantage plan denials are limiting the hospital’s ability to admit patients to swing-bed services. He said traditional Medicare is easier for preauthorization and noted the challenge affects the hospital’s swing-bed occupancy and revenue.

The hospital board last approved a set of capital replacements, Whitaker said, including urology instrumentation and defibrillator replacements; GRMC expects about $2.2 million in capital purchases this year for equipment and repairs. Whitaker also said GRMC will transition to a new emergency-room physician group on July 1 and is recruiting to fill nurse-practitioner and physician roles.

Why it matters: Replacing the linear accelerator would directly affect cancer-treatment capacity in the county and the hospital’s capital needs; if the requested state funding does not materialize, the hospital’s options and timeline for replacement may be constrained.

What’s next: Whitaker said the hospital expects to finish the bill draft soon and will pursue committee work during the current legislative session. The hospital also plans ongoing community-facing training on patient experience and staffing recruitment.