Wiregrass Medical Center seeks Critical Access Hospital status to shore up finances

Janet Smith, CEO of Wiregrass Medical Center, told the Geneva County Commission on Sept. 23 that the hospital has sustained multiple years of operating losses and has developed a turnaround plan that includes applying for Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation.

"The past several years has been incredibly challenging as the facility has come through COVID," Smith said, describing uncertainty in the local, state and federal health-care environment. She said the CAH conversion is intended to "increase reimbursement from Medicare and Medicare Advantage payer plans to the hospital, therefore increasing the revenues needed to keep the hospital in the county." The CAH program is a federal designation intended to reduce rural hospitals' financial vulnerability and preserve essential services.

The commission took no formal action on the hospital report. Smith's update was given during new business as part of the commission's regular session. The comments provided a status report and rationale for the conversion; the board did not vote on county funding or partnership commitments during the meeting.