Dennis George, administrator of 36-bed Coffey Health System hospital in Burlington, Kan., said his whole county has only half the required 5,000 beneficiaries. Susan Page, CEO of 69-bed Pratt (Kan.) Regional Medical Center, said even hospitals with as many as 200 beds also would be hard-pressed to reach the minimum number.
Meeting rural hospitals’ needs might require tweaking the reform law, said Tom Bell, CEO of the Kansas Hospital Association. He said he expects CMS to develop a different ACO model for rural areas. “I’m already hearing people say how an ACO might work in a rural area because the population would be more homogenous than in an urban area,” he said.
Since most small hospitals in Kansas have already aligned with a regional hospital, the solution might be banding together in regional care networks, said Janelle Moerer, vice president of business development at Via Christi Health, the largest healthcare provider in Kansas. “The big issue really is going to be connectivity and electronic medical records,” she said.
Meanwhile, Mr. George envisions Coffey Health System partnering with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas to offer an insurance plan for all county residents, not just Medicare beneficiaries. “Instead of a General Motors’ plan or a state employees’ plan, it would be a Coffey County plan,” he said. “We have a lot of three- and four-person farm operations that can’t get group health insurance now.”
Read Kansas Health Institute report on ACOs.
Read more coverage on rural hospitals and ACOs:
– 15 Suggestions for Implementing ACOs from New AHA Letter to CMS
– Hospitals Becoming More Flexible in Arrangements With Physicians
– 14 Thoughts on the Road Ahead for Hospitals With AHA Trustee Ron Anderson
