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A Message From Our CEO

 

In April I made an all expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. to present to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). The Commission is an independent commission formed by Congress whose sole purpose is to advise them on changes to Medicare payment policies.

Through connections developed through the National Rural Health Association, West River Health Services (WRHS) was part of a study on rural health by MedPAC several years ago. MedPAC staffers were sent around the nation to a variety of rural sites to gather information on delivery systems. WRHS was one of those sites and, stood out with the staffers, Jeff Stensland and Jack Ashby, who did the study.

Jeff Stensland called with an invitation to Washington to speak directly to MedPAC. When I found out that I was one of two people chosen to be given such an opportunity, I was both honored and somewhat frightened. Honored to have been selected, but frightened as making the case for what I term as "true rural health" a big load to take on my shoulders.

I am happy to report that the presentation went very well. The other presenter was a

large urban based system that had outreach to rural areas. It is an impressive system

covering a large area, many services and an operating budget of $2.3 billion but I felt

that the commission was more interested in our "true rural" system and our needs. The

presentations and questions and answer session following lasted over 2 hours but I felt very comfortable and well received by the commission.

The focus of my presentation was on issues relating to the challenges of our distances, low population density, and reimbursement. I expressed our concerns on the lack of support to primary care services, the application of urban rules to programs such as home health, the ridiculous notions of government that our EMS/Ambulance squads "compete" against each other and that cost reimbursement for "Medicare recognized costs" makes rural providers profitable. I also talked about providing help/incentives on the electronic health record conversions and making changes to promote primary care, rural health and general health access.

It was a great honor. I am glad I did it. I'm glad it is over. Now we have to wait and

watch to see not only how much they paid attention (and I believe they did) but just what

can be done in the political climate of our nation.

Jim Long, CEO

05/16/2011

For more information, sample newsletters or to get on our mailing list contact:

        Community Relations
        West River Regional Medical Center
        1000 Highway 12
        Hettinger, ND 58639-753

 

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