State awards $200,000 to 15 rural hospitals

SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Wednesday, November 16, 2011
CONTACT:  Sandi Durick, (605) 773-3361 

State awards $200,000 to 15 rural hospitals

PIERRE, S.D. – Fifteen rural hospitals in South Dakota will receive a total of $201,880 in grants for projects ranging from medication error reduction to telehealth.

The grant funding comes to the Department of Health through the federal Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program. Over the last 11 years, South Dakota has awarded more than $3,800,000 to rural hospitals through the program.

To be eligible, hospitals must have received a Medicare certification as a Critical Access Hospital (CAH). Hospitals certified as CAHs receive a higher Medicare reimbursement rate and are eligible for grant funding for such projects as enhanced information systems. South Dakota currently has 38 critical access hospitals.

Sustaining essential healthcare services in rural and underserved areas is a key objective of the department’s Health 2020 Initiative.

Hospitals receiving grants in 2011 include:

Medication Error Reduction
Faulkton – Faulkton Area Medical Center – $22,000
Huron – Huron Regional Medical Center – $22,000
Sisseton – Coteau Des Prairie Hospital – $12,340
Sturgis – Sturgis Regional Hospital – $6,806

Patient Safety
Clear Lake – Sanford Clear Lake Medical Center – $7,906
DeSmet – Avera DeSmet Memorial Hospital – $22,000
Philip – Hans P. Peterson Memorial Hospital – $5,035
Platte – Platte Health Center Avera – $14,367
Wagner – Wagner Community Memorial Hospital – $22,000

Clinical Health Information Technology
Burke – Community Memorial Hospital – $5,401
Parkston – Avera St. Benedict Health Center – $9,675

Hospital Readmission Reduction
Dell Rapids – Avera Dells Health Center – $15,000
Flandreau – Avera Flandreau Hospital – $15,000
Mobridge – Mobridge Regional Hospital – $9,400
Viborg – Pioneer Memorial Hospital – $14,120

 

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