Rexburg Hospital has 25 Years of Success with No Tax Support –

As our community is well aware, Madison Memorial Hospital is a public hospital owned by Madison County and operated by the Hospital’s Board of Trustees. Madison Memorial provides needed health care services in Rexburg, as well as Madison County and surrounding communities. While the hospital is a county owned facility, it has been operated in a manner that has required no tax payer support for more than 25 years. The hospital has not obligated Madison County and its taxpayers to any debts.

One of the most important features of any community hospital is its Emergency Department. The Hospital staffs its Emergency Department with a physician who is physically present in the Emergency Room 24 hours per day, seven days per week. This physician is trained and has experience in performing emergency medical services. However, the Emergency Room patient is often in need of more specialized medical care which would be performed by physicians who are trained in fields like obstetrics orthopedics or surgery. To provide access to these specialized services, the Hospital maintains an “On-Call” roster of physicians who are available on a 24/7 rotating basis who will come to the ER and provide specialized coverage.

Given the limited number of specialty physicians available in the community, some physicians are concerned about the overall amount of time devoted to on-call obligations each month. The hospital entered into negotiations to acknowledge the burden that call duties impose on our physicians. Madison Memorial has measures in place to ensure timely access to high-quality emergency care to the residents of Madison County.

Hospital officials are charged with the ongoing negotiation of contracts that ensure the efficient operations of the hospital. Like any contract negotiation, these discussions with our physicians had their challenges. The ultimate goal for these negotiations was continued coverage in the emergency department for our patients.

As with any contractual matters of significance, the Hospital consulted with its attorneys and retained a health care consultant to provide expertise in complying with all applicable standards. After careful review we are confident that no federal, state or local laws or regulations have been violated by Madison Memorial Hospital.