Madera Community Hospital Extends Medi-Cal Contract by One Month, Seeks Higher Reimbursements
Madera Community Hospital has agreed to a second month-long extension of its Medi-Cal contract, but hospital officials said that the contract will not be renewed again unless the state increases reimbursement rates, the Fresno Bee reports. Madera Community CEO Robert Kelley said that the cost of treating Medi-Cal patients has risen 20% since 1999, when the hospital last renegotiated its contract. During those negotiations, the state offered between a 1% and 2% reimbursement increase, according to Jeff Rodriguez, Madera Community's vice president in charge of finance. If the state does not offer higher Medi-Cal rates at a Nov. 15 meeting with the California Medical Assistance Commission, hospital officials plan to cancel the contract and ask that Madera County be declared an "open area." That designation would allow the hospital to admit Medi-Cal patients while receiving reimbursement on a per-case basis. Hospital officials say that such an arrangement could save the facility nearly $700,000 annually. Madera Community would continue to serve Medi-Cal beneficiaries until its current contract expires Nov. 26. The 72-bed hospital serves approximately 450 Medi-Cal patients per month (Leedy, Fresno Bee, 10/30).
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