Centre County Commissioners are criticizing federal health department administrators for their recent decision on the Mount Nittany hospital that could cost the medical center millions of dollars.
County commissioner Amber Concepcion terms it a “serious mistake” by the feds to strip the hospital of its ‘sole community hospital designation,’ a decision that could mean the loss of millions of dollars for the Mount Nittany facility that is used for Medicare reimbursement rates.
Centre County commissioner chairman Mark Higgins agrees with Concepcion, noting that the hospital is mandated to provide the services.
Higgins says Pennsylvania’s federal lawmakers have already been contacted and the hospital has filed a lawsuit in federal court, hoping to overturn the decision.
Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College has filed a federal lawsuit against the federal Department of Health and Human Services, along with the centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
The suit challenges the loss of a special federal Medicare designation which the hospital claims could amount to a multi-million dollar loss in revenue.
The suit involves the geographic area served by the hospital, which in 2017 was designated as a sole community hospital.
But the feds have stripped Mount Nittany of that status citing the opening of the Penn Highlands State College facility.