St. Mark’s Rural Emergency Hospital Status Approved, Quitta Leads Emergency Department

St. Mark’s Medical Center officially received federal approval for rural emergency hospital (REH) designation in a letter dated April 12, 2023, from the Medicare Administrative Contractor. The designation is part of the St. Mark’s Board of Directors’ continued work toward a longer term solution to continue providing healthcare services to Fayette and Lee Counties.

Among the first hospitals in Texas to convert to the REH model, St. Mark’s notification advised that the designation is effective retroactive to the REH classification application date of Feb. 24, 2023. Under REH, St. Mark’s receives a 5 percent higher Medicare reimbursement and a monthly facility fee that helps address operational cost increases in areas including labor and supplies.

“I’m extremely proud of St. Mark’s staff as we navigate these changes,” said St. Mark’s CEO Mark Kimball. “We’re excited that veteran team member, Laurie Quitta, RN, now serves as director of emergency services. She joins Roger Willis, MD, Emergency Services Medical Director, in providing quality care to patients needing emergency care.”

“Our patients and their families can count on our compassionate and skilled emergency medicine team to be ready when they need us,” said Quitta.

In addition to 24/7 emergency services available under the REH designation, St. Mark’s also provides the following: • Observation • Laboratory

• Imaging and X-Ray

• Mammography

• Nuclear Medicine

• Pharmacy

• Physical and Occupational Therapy

• Respiratory Therapy

• Cardiac Rehabilitation

• Cardiovascular Imaging Center

• Wound Care; and

• Sleep Study For more information about St. Mark’s Medical Center, visit smmctx.org.