jrmc-DeBeorBismarck (CSi) Sept 2, 2016– Update …Congressman Kevin Cramer announced he received word Friday that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at the Department of Health and Human Services has reversed a decision it made last week to revoke the critical access hospital (CAH) status of Jamestown Regional Medical Center (JRMC).

“Critical Access Hospital” is a designation given to certain rural hospitals by CMS to reduce the financial vulnerability of rural hospitals and improve access to healthcare by keeping essential services in rural communities. The primary eligibility requirements for CAHs are that the hospital have 25 or fewer acute care inpatient beds, be located more than 35 miles from another hospital, maintain an annual average length of stay of 96 hours or less for acute care patients and provide 24/7 emergency care services.

Upon being notified of the revocation decision by JRMC President and CEO K.C. DeBoer last Thursday, Cramer immediately sent a letter to CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt, and he reached out to him by email over the weekend. Cramer is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over CMS.

Cramer said the decision to revoke the Critical Access Designation for JRMC was based on the misunderstanding that the North Dakota State Hospital, also located in Jamestown, was a traditional hospital.  “The North Dakota State Hospital provides psychiatric and chemical dependency treatment to North Dakotans who require in-patient or specialized residential care,” he said.  “It does not meet the traditional definition of a hospital.”

Cramer said he was confident that once he reached out to him, Slavitt would realize the misunderstanding and immediately reverse the decision to revoke the CAH designation the JRMC has had since 2009. “I am pleased the JRMC administration contacted me right away.  JRMC is the only acute care hospital in the Jamestown region and it is imperative it retains its status as the area’s critical access hospital.”