T’Naus Nieto
The Chronicle-News
‘We are not in immediate risk of closing,’ says CEO
The Center for Healthcare and Quality and Payment Reform published data showing six rural hospitals in Colorado at ‘immediate risk’ of closure, including Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center in Walsenburg. This prompted the Denver Business Journal, 9News, Colorado Public Radio, and other outlets to publish articles discussing the hospitals’ dire situation and possible closures.
Kay Whitley, CEO of Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center, provided a statement to Colorado Public Radio to clarify that the hospital is not in ‘immediate danger’ and that the data doesn’t provide the necessary context.
According to the CHQPR’s data, the Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center had $40,030,699 in total expenses in 2023, a three-year total margin of –0.3%, and a three-year patient service margin of –12.5%.
Whitley told CPR, “All critical access hospitals may face struggles occasionally, but we are not in immediate danger of closing… Our service lines have expanded to meet the needs of our community, as we are operating with a positive margin. We are dedicated to our mission. This commitment is at the core of everything we do.”
According to the Denver Business Journal’s report on the subject, the Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center, one of the six in ‘critical risk,’ was also among the 14 rural hospitals that have lost money on patient services every year for three years in a row. Mt. San Rafael Hospital was also listed as one of the 14.
Whitley told CPR, “The data is based on static information from a point in time and without context or other information that may inform its rankings… It also doesn’t consider the myriad of actions a hospital takes when dealing with unsustainable finances to stay open and continue providing services for the communities it serves.”
9News reported that the findings from the CHQPR’s data ‘sound the alarm’ for urban hospitals that may have to take in more patients. They quoted CHQPR’s CEO, who said, “Findings also [serve] as a warning to the nation’s urban hospitals, which will be forced to take in more patients despite problems with bed availability, staffing shortages, and long waits at some emergency rooms… That’s going to get worse if more hospitals close or convert to rural emergency hospitals.”
