Rezin, Yednock looking at speeding up process of OSF ownership of SMH

St. Sen. Sue Rezin says she and St. Rep. Lance Yednock have been meeting with Gov. Pritzker’s Administration to try and speed up the application process for OSF Healthcare to take ownership of SMH locations. OSF still needs to complete their due diligence and formally submit their application The Morris Republican says Pritzker’s administration has been receptive to the requests as they too understand the need to provide great, local quality healthcare for all Illinois residents. She says there has already been legistlation that allows SMH to operate their Peru and Spring Valley hospitals under one license. They also got the hospital’s Meidcaid and Medicare reimbursements relased earlier than normal to offese the deficit. Yednock says a package to raise Medicare reimbursement rates for providers is working its way through the Illinois General Assembly. He says he hopes this will help address some of the challenges with rural healthcare. A recent memo from St. Margaret’s Health CEO Tim Muntz says the Spring Valley hospital could close in June if other emergency funding they requested doesn’t come in.