Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health has filed an application to reopen Lee County Community Hospital with a critical access hospital designation.
The Pennington Gap, Va.-based community hospital closed in 2013. The Lee County Hospital Authority voted in January to partner with Ballad Health to reopen the hospital.
Ballad Health is seeking the critical access designation to help reduce the financial vulnerability of the rural hospital.
If the application is approved, the designation would allow the hospital to be reimbursed by CMS at a higher rate. To qualify, the hospital must be at least 35 miles from the nearest facility or 15 miles, if in a mountainous area like Lee County.
"Ballad Health is committed to reopening Lee County Community Hospital and bringing healthcare services back to this community, and filing our application brings us one step closer," said Monty McLaurin, vice president for Ballad Health.
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