SCH one of 14 rural hospitals to receive funds from $140K donation

Stephens County Hospital is one of 14 rural hospitals to receive funds specifically designated to help rural facilities across the state.

Stephens County Hospital was awarded $10,000 by the Georgia Rural Hospital Tax Program (Georgia HEART) through a $140,000 donation from Windham Brannon.

Windham Brannon’s Healthcare Practice Co-Leader Danielle Epps says quote “Today more than ever, rural hospitals are strongholds in their communities. They conveniently provide much-needed care, yet, too many struggle financially,” end quote.

According to release by Windham Brannon, revenue leakage, which stems from things like manual processes, not capturing and billing all services, coding errors and much more, can reduce a hospital’s revenue by up to 10 percent annually.

Add to that the negative impacts of COVID-19 this past year and the financial losses are sizeable.

Epps says quote, “There are nearly 2,000 rural hospitals in the U.S., including about 60 here in Georgia that serve large parts of our population. It’s vital that they remain profitable so they can continue to provide much-needed services to those in their respective communities,” end quote.

Since 2008, there have been nine rural hospitals to close in Georgia, and two of those closed at the end of 2020.

Other hospitals receiving funds from the $140,000 donation includes Monroe County Hospital, AdventHealth Murray (Murray Medical Center), Polk Medical Center, Tift Regional Medical Center, John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital, Colquitt Regional Medical Center, Upson Regional Medical Center, Union General Hospital, Jefferson Hospital, Burke Medical Center, Piedmont Mountainside Hospital, Wayne Memorial Hospital, and Washington County Regional Medical Center.