Minnesota's rural hospitals are hanging on - for now

Oct 23, 20190

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Dr. Jared Slater prepared a patient for robotic gall bladder surgery at RC Hospital and Clinics in Olivia, Minn. The hospital gambled that investing in the robotic surgery tool and expanded obstetrics care would lure patients back. So far, the investment seems to be paying off. Photo by Leila Navidi, Star Tribune

MADELIA, MINN. – The prognosis for Madelia Community Hospital has been grim for some years now. Births are no longer scheduled here. Inpatient admissions have fallen to barely 100 per year. And the costs of patching together a medical staff have turned the hospital into a perennial money-loser.

Yet its new administrator is optimistic. The community-run hospital is hiring practitioners, expanding surgery capacity, extending urgent care hours, and even adding specialties such as laserfrequency ablation for nerve pain.

http://www.startribune.com/hospitals-hanging-on-in-rural-minnesota/509215652/