Sen. Dick Durbin traveled to Watseka’s Iroquois Memorial Hospital on Tuesday after the federal government officially designated it a Critical Access Hospital in recent days.
According to Durbin, the designation means that the hospital will receive higher Medicare reimbursement rates, a financial boost that can be critical to the stability of the rural facility.
“The staff here are dedicated to the success of this hospital and the people in their community, and this new federal approval is a pillar that will help Iroquois sustain its commitment for the future,” Durbin said in a statement.
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), medical facilities must be in rural areas, located 35 miles or more from other hospitals in order to be designated as Critical Access Hospitals (CAH). They must have no more than 25 inpatient beds, and must maintain an average stay length of 96 hours or less per patient for acute inpatient care.
Hospitals must also furnish 24-hour emergency care services seven days a week.
“Critical Access Hospital status helps level the financial playing field for us to provide for the needs of the people in our communities,” CEO Michael Tilstra said in a statement. “We appreciate the support Sen. Durbin has given to rural health, and for helping make CAH a reality for Iroquois Memorial Hospital.”
The designation pays rural hospitals a higher Medicare reimbursement rate, which can help provide financial boosts, according to a press release.
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More than 50 CAHs are located around Illinois.
According to Durbin’s office, more than 150 rural hospitals have closed nationwide in the last 12 years, and 51% of rural hospitals ran operating losses last year.
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Durbin has proposed legislation to address challenges faced by rural hospitals, and was instrumental in CAH formula changes that enabled IMH to obtain that status.
“Hospitals are important all over the state, but downstate, they’re a matter of life and death in many rural communities,” he said in a video posted to social media. “A new designation in Washington gives this hospital a new lease on life for many years to come.”
