Missouri Senator Kurtis Gregory and Representative Terry Thompson walked through our emergency department and inpatient unit this week, meeting staff along the way before sitting down with our leadership team. The visit gave us time to talk through issues that directly affect how we care for patients in Ray County.

The visit came two weeks after Ray County Hospital and Healthcare announced it is a founding member of the Show-Me High Value Network, a collaboration of 23 independent Missouri hospitals working together on quality, care coordination, and cost. Our leaders walked the legislators through our role in the network and the benefits we expect it to bring. Every member hospital stays independent, with decisions about care still made locally. Read our announcement about joining the network.

We also talked about swing beds, which let patients who no longer need acute hospital care, but aren’t quite ready to go home, finish recovering in Richmond. It keeps that stretch of recovery close to home and close to family.

Our team made the case for the 340B Drug Pricing Program, which allows eligible hospitals to purchase outpatient medications at reduced cost. Along with its importance, we raised concerns about current reporting requirements from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the administrative burden that additional reporting would add.

The Missouri Hospital Association arranged the visit as part of its work connecting legislators with hospital leaders across the state, so the people shaping policy can see how it affects patient care and hospital operations.

We are grateful to Senator Gregory and Representative Thompson for their time and for coming to see our work in person.

Read the Missouri Hospital Association’s story about the visit.

Photos courtesy of the Missouri Hospital Association.