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| Lost Rivers Medical Center in Arco has served Butte and southern Custer County for nearly 60 years. |
The agreement sets the stage for LRMC — a facility in Arco that has been on shaky ground more than once in its 58-year history — to provide improved patient access for high-risk medical specialties like advanced cancer care, clinical trials, complex cardiovascular care, neurosciences, and transplant services. It also may include expanded use of tele-health services, as well as satellite clinics staffed by University of Utah specialists.
The agreement also offers the opportunity to benefit from the work the University of Utah is doing around staff development and business efficiency.
“We recognize that no one wants to leave his or her community when they get sick,” said Gordon Crabtree, interim CEO of University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics. “The goal of this partnership is to enhance Lost Rivers Medical Center’s ability to serve the residents in the region with high quality care and better access to specialty care not currently available.”
LRMC CEO Bradley Huerta said he hoped the new partnership will greatly enhance both the accessibility and quality of healthcare. The affiliation does not change ownership, local control and governance, or restrict patient choice in providers.
Lost Rivers Medical Center was originally established in 1958 as an association. It was operated by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration who operated the facility until 1975.
Currently, it operates as a Critical Access Hospital (CAH), the designation of which was established by law under the Medicare program. To be designated as a CAH, a hospital must be located in a rural area, provide 24-hour emergency services, have an average length-of- stay for its patients of 96 hours or less, be located more than 35 miles (or more than 15 miles in areas with mountainous terrain) from the nearest hospital or be designated by its
State as a “necessary provider.” Hospitals may have no more than 25 beds.
Today’s celebration will be in the parking lot beside the Bengal Pharmacy. There will be a free barbecue lunch and tours of the hospital will be available.
