WY Med. Center ’community provider’ status may not work

The nonprofit Wyoming Medical Center Inc.'s hoped-for legal out that could save $7.8 million in Medicare reimbursements may not pan out, according to the intermediary company between the hospital and federal government. The state's largest hospital probably will lose its "sole community provider" status because the new Mountain View Regional Hospital garnered more than 8% of area inpatient volume in 2010, thus crossing a threshold for disqualification, WMC officials said. Wyoming Medical Center will legally fight the loss of this status -- and the hefty reimbursement for the sometimes money-losing services it offers to the community -- on the grounds the requirement in question was put into effect in 2002, 10 years after WMC received "sole community provider" status from Medicare. The requirements in 1992 included the provision that another hospital in the area would need to provide services like those of the "sole community provider" hospital. Mountain View doesn't offer services such as trauma care, WMC President Vickie Diamond said.