Published: Saturday, September 13, 2014 at 5:57 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, September 13, 2014 at 5:57 p.m. <\/p>\n
The money will come from the interest off about $200 million the Marion County Hospital District received from Community Hospital Systems in exchange for allowing that private company to lease Munroe Regional Medical Center. The money is sitting in interest-bearing accounts and investment vehicles. <\/p>\n
With dozens of nonprofits looking for new revenue streams as state and federal funding spigots tighten, the hospital district money could be a godsend: the largest revenue stream of its kind in the county. <\/p>\n
While the first checks wont be written for at least another year and while the hospital district trustees arent even close to deciding who should get how much the Star-Banner asked some local health care leaders how they think the money should be spent. <\/p>\n
Among the first in line with suggestions is Heart of Florida Health Center CEO Kerrie Jones Clark. <\/p>\n
First, continue to fund primary care for the uninsured, Clark said. <\/p>\n
About half of Heart of Floridas 15,000 patients are uninsured. The other half mostly has Medicaid. <\/p>\n
To fill the gap, the health center depends on local grants and corresponding federal drawdowns. For example, Heart of Florida gets $400,000 a year from Munroe Regional Medical Center and a corresponding $1.1 million from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. <\/p>\n
But CMS warned this year that its contribution will end next year. For Heart of Florida, which has a $9 million annual budget, thats a significant loss. <\/p>\n
That is where the hospital district could step in, Clark said. A $1 million grant from the district would pay for about 10,000 health center visits and make up the CMS loss. <\/p>\n
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Health care providers seek share of new revenue stream<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Published: Saturday, September 13, 2014 at 5:57 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, September 13, 2014 at 5:57 p.m. The money will come from the interest off about $200 million the Marion County Hospital District received from Community Hospital Systems in exchange for allowing that private company to lease Munroe Regional Medical Center. Continue reading