Photo: Grassley learns more about the Trophies Plus operation in Breda during a tour with Austin Shelp
Near the end of this week, the Manilla Manor made a public announcement of their impending closing after 45 years of service to the community via social media. “It is with an indescribably heavy heart to announce that the Manilla Manor is officially closing in the coming months,” they wrote. Before that posting was 24 hours old, U.S. Senator, Chuck Grassley, was asked about what can be done in the legislature to support rural nursing homes and facilities facing hardships. Grassley says the reimbursement rates start with the states.
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He says if these facilities want more money from the federal government, changes need to originate in Iowa’s legislature. Grassley also discussed recent legislation that aids rural hospitals, both critical access and those slightly larger medical facilities labeled “tweener” hospitals.
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St. Anthony Regional Hospital is considered one of those “tweeners”, but had been given the opportunity to participate in a rural community hospital demo project that only included about five hospitals in the state of Iowa. The goal of this was to determine the financial impact of cost-based reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid on participating hospitals along with the affect on the population’s healthcare. Grassley says legislation was also recently passed to help hospitals in this category remain viable. Grassley made his comments during a tour of Trophies Plus in Breda on Thursday morning. Carroll Broadcasting will bring you more from that visit in upcoming newscasts.