Missouri

Report: One-third of Missouri’s rural hospitals at risk of closure

Published

10 months ago

August 8, 2023

Report: One-third of Missouri’s rural hospitals at risk of closure

ST. LOUIS (KMOV) — The Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform reports that 19 of Missouri’s rural hospitals are at risk of closing, half of them immediately, due to their financial circumstances.

The report shows more than 600, or roughly 30%, of hospitals in rural areas of the U.S. face such challenges.

Though the report did not cite the names of the facilities, it reports 60 rural hospitals in Kansas, 12 in Illinois and 19 in Missouri at risk of closing. Roughly half of those listed represent hospitals that the report identifies as at risk of closing “immediately” because of two main reasons:

Inadequate Revenues to Cover Expenses: Hospitals lost money providing patient services for multiple years. The report warns the hospitals that fall into this category are unlikely to receive funding from other sources to cover the losses now that federal COVID-19 funding is no longer available.
Low Financial Reserves: Hospitals either owe more than their assets, or net assets they do have will not offset losses for more than three years.

Rural hospitals see fewer patients, they exist in areas that are more difficult to recruit employees, they’re less accessible, and they’re not reimbursed the same through health insurance plans.

“In many cases, the [rural] hospital is the only source of health care in that community,” CHQPR’s founder and CEO Harold Miller said. “It’s not only an emergency department, but laboratories, imaging, even primary care in some cases are supported by rural hospitals. So, when a rural hospital closes, it may mean that there’s literally no health care services left in the community.”

Missouri has had 10 rural hospitals close since 2005, with 57 currently open across the state.

Heidi Lucas heads the Missouri Rural Health Association.

“It was able to lift them up a bit and help keep them in business for a while longer,” Lucas said. “However, now that that money is dried up, we need to really look at the root of the problem.”

Because smaller hospitals don’t have as much bargaining power with insurance companies, they’ll often get reimbursements that don’t cover the cost of the services they provide, leaving the hospital at a negative margin. Meanwhile, those costs have continued rising.

“All health insurance plans need to pay adequately for health services in rural areas, it doesn’t do any good for someone to have insurance if they have no place to use it,” Miller said. “If you don’t pay adequately for the services in that community, then you’re not going to be able to maintain those services in the community.”

A new law in Missouri changes the definition of “hospital” to now include rural emergency centers, opening the door for some of these small facilities to apply for millions in federal dollars.

TOP 5 RURAL MISSOURI HOSPITALS AT RISK OF CLOSURE:

Scotland County Hospital (Memphis, Missouri)

Patient Services Margin: -21.6%

Total Margin: -8.5%

Lafayette Regional Health Center (Lexington, Missouri)

Patient Services Margin: -0.9%

Total Margin: -6.4%

Fitzgibbon Hospital (Marshall, Missouri)

Patient Services Margin: -4.4%

Total Margin: -5.6%

Ray County Memorial Hospital (Richmond, Missouri)

Patient Services Margin: -10.4%

Total Margin: -4.2%

Bothwell Regional Health Center (Sedalia, Missouri)

Patient Services Margin: 9.6%

Total Margin: -4.1%

See the full list by following this link.

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Missouri

Child marriage will remain legal in Missouri – for now – Missourinet

Published

1 hour ago

May 20, 2024

Press Room

Child marriage will remain legal in Missouri – for now – Missourinet

Close, but no cigar. A bill that was close to passing this legislative session would have raised the legal age to marry in Missouri. The bipartisan effort from Sens. Holly Thompson Rehder, R-Scott City, and Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City, would have banned marriages for anyone under 18 without exceptions.

Currently, in Missouri, you can get married at age 16 with a parent’s consent.

Rehder lamented the fact that House Republicans took such a hardline stance on the issue.

“When you look at the statistics that show for a girl that gets married as a teenager before she’s an adult, the divorce rate is almost 80%,” she told Missourinet. “Why would we do that? Why would a parent knowing that, why would the legislators in this building not want to ban child marriage?”

House Republicans like Rep. Mitch Boggs, R-LaRussell, were concerned that the bill gives the government an excuse to “intrude” in family marriage.

Arthur expressed embarrassment over this stalling in the House of Representatives.

“My friends who are apolitical or live in different parts of the country send me messages and say, ‘What is happening in Missouri?’ It makes Missouri look bad, but more importantly, we are not doing enough to protect young girls who are forced into marriages and whose lives are worse in every way as a result,” she said.

The legislation would not have affected any marriages that have already taken place.

Rehder explained that the issue will be reintroduced next year due to a national push from women’s groups.

“Women want to, number one, help solve the problems that we have with sex trafficking,” she said. “Women, today, in 2024, realize that we have so much more opportunity, our girls have so much more opportunity. We want them to be able to make lifetime commitment decisions when their brains are fully developed.”

Rehder’s reasoning for wanting the bill’s passage is due to the divorce rate being “incredibly high” among couples who got married when they were children.

“It’s shameful, in my opinion, and I think it represents the very ugliest parts of politics and I am hopeful that this is not the last attempt that they make to do right and raise the age to 18,” Arthur added.

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Missouri

Mavericks lose in pitcher’s duel 1-0 to No. 7 Missouri, missing a trip to a Super Regional

Published

9 hours ago

May 19, 2024

Press Room

Mavericks lose in pitcher’s duel 1-0 to No. 7 Missouri, missing a trip to a Super Regional

COLUMBIA, Missouri. (WOWT) – Omaha softball’s historic NCAA tournament run came to an end Sunday after two losses to regional hosts Missouri. The Mavericks entered the first regional final undefeated on the weekend, having defeated Mizzou on Friday and Washington on Saturday.

UNO all-time leader in strikeouts Kamryn Meyer started in the circle for Omaha for her third game in three days. The Mavericks took the lead in the bottom of the sixth after an overthrow to third by Missouri sent Marra Cramer home for the first run of the game.

With their season on the line, the Tigers surged back in the top of the seventh. Shortstop Jenna Laird grounded out but sent the tying run home. Missouri immediately followed up with a two-run home run off the bat of Alex Honnold. Missouri plated two more in the frame and went on to win the game, 5-1, forcing a winner-take-all game two.

Elkhorn native Sydney Nuismer stepped into the circle for Omaha with the program’s first-ever trip to a super regional on the line. The senior tossed eight scoreless innings with the Mavs’ dominant defense backing her up. Finally, in the bottom of the ninth, the game still scoreless, Missouri’s Madison Walker made contact and sent Honnold home from third to walk it off, 1-0.

UNO finished the program’s most successful season of the Division I era with an overall record of 43-15. The Mavs’ two NCAA Tournament wins in Columbia were also a program best.

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Missouri

Missouri softball live score updates in NCAA Columbia Regional championship vs. Omaha

Published

16 hours ago

May 19, 2024

Press Room

Missouri softball live score updates in NCAA Columbia Regional championship vs. Omaha

They took the long way round, but the Tigers are competing for the regional championship.

Missouri softball survived two elimination games in the NCAA Columbia Regional on Saturday, and now faces Omaha — the undefeated regional four-seed — on Sunday afternoon at Mizzou Softball Stadium for a spot in the NCAA Super Regional round.

Mizzou (45-16), the No. 7 national seed, lost in its regional opener to Omaha (43-13) on Friday evening. The Mavericks followed up that upset win by taking down Washington in the winners bracket Saturday afternoon.

That means MU, which eliminated Indiana and Washington in succession to keep its season alive, must beat Omaha twice Sunday to advance.

More: ‘Gutsy’ Missouri softball survives two elimination games in regional. How the Tigers dug deep

Mizzou last advanced to an NCAA Super Regional in 2021, when the Tigers fell to James Madison. Missouri has fallen in the regional round in every other full season of coach Larissa Anderson’s tenure, which began in 2019.

You can find live score updates from Missouri’s regional final against the Mavericks here:

More: Missouri softball: Complete schedule for NCAA Columbia Regional