Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital Reapproved as a Critical Access Hospital
UPDATE: As of Tuesday evening Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital’s status as a Critical Access Hospital was restored and will continue to care for patients as they have in the last two decades.
ORIGINAL: ELY, Minn. — Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital (EBCH) has lost its status as a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) after the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) found the hospital unfit in its criteria of being a rural hospital. The federal designation allows EBCH to be reimbursed more for expenses related to patient care.
“I do want to clarify just a little bit that even though the critical access designation might be somewhat in, you know, limbo. We’re waiting for it to be approved,” said Hospital CEO Patricia Banks. “That a loss of that designation doesn’t necessarily mean that we would cease operations.”
EBCH has been serving people north of the iron range since 1957. In 2001, hospital administrative staff registered EBCH as a CAH. That status has remained unchanged until this last year.
“It was just quite surprising to get that letter and see that that was even being thought about,” said Banks. “That was for me the moment I reached out, out of frustration, because it just didn’t seem possible. Nothing for us has really changed, and so just trying to understand the why?”
According to the CMS, for a hospital to be considered critical access it must be located either more than 35-miles from the next nearest hospital. The nearest hospital to Ely is the Essentia Health-Virginia, which is approximately 48 miles away.
Congressman Pete Stauber sent a letter to the Administrator of CMS urging the agency to not revoke EBCH’s designation as a CAH.
“Not only is the decision to take away the Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital’s Critical Access Hospital designation based on a technicality that is not accurate, but it would do significant harm to the Ely community. Without this designation, hospital operations will be impacted, and many residents of this community will be forced to travel long distances to receive care. Our rural communities deserve better, so I will continue to apply pressure on CMS to ensure this decision is reversed.”
EBCH had 60 days from the date they were notified to file an appeal with CMS. Banks hopes that from legislative and community support CMS will continue to recognize EBCH as a CAH.
“Overall, I think what we would still initially try is to just continue to push for that critical access designation,” said Banks. “We haven’t really lost it per-se. We have reapplied.”
