CMS not pulling Mississippi rural emergency hospital status, state health official clarifies

After initially saying CMS was “pulling” Holly Springs, Miss.-based Alliance HealthCare’s emergency rural hospital status, state health officer Dan Edney, MD, walked back his remarks and said CMS just needed “further clarification” on the hospital’s rural emergency status, Mississippi Today reported April 14.

Dr. Edney first made remarks concerning the rescinding of Alliance’s rural emergency status at a state board of health meeting days after the designation was awarded. The confusion comes as the hospital is working to prove its rural status, since it is 50 miles away from Memphis, Tenn.

“I firmly believe that it is no question that this is a rural community and a rural hospital,” Alliance CEO Kenneth Williams, MD, told Mississippi Today.

The federal government is currently reviewing Alliance’s designation. If the hospital does not receive the extra funding awarded to rural emergency hospitals, the situation could be dire, Dr. Williams told Mississippi Today.

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CMS not pulling Mississippi rural emergency hospital status, state health official clarifies

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