On January 1st, 2023 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services opened enrollment for a new hospital designation, Rural Emergency Hospitals. Last fall the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published a final rule establishing criteria for a new Medicare provider type; Rural Emergency Hospitals. The REH designation was created in response to rural hospital closures, and the goal is to ensure rural communities have access to healthcare.

The final rule for REHs was effective on January 1, 2023, and our next guest led his hospital out of an unfortunate financial situation, to one of the first REHs in the country on March 27th, 2023.  Tune into our conversation with Ted Mathews, CEO of Anson General Hospital in Anson, Texas where we discuss how he and the community worked to ensure they had continued access to healthcare.

“The Rural Emergency Hospital Designation is not for everyone, but it definitely was for us (Anson General Hospital). If we had not received that designation we would have been closed by now.”If we had not received that designation, we would have been closed by now.”

-Ted Matthews

Ted Matthews has been associated with rural healthcare for over 25 years. He has served as an administrator/CEO of two Texas rural hospitals: Anson General Hospital and Eastland Memorial Hospital. He also served on numerous healthcare boards such as Torch, THA, and some state agencies. In 2021, Mr. Matthews retired to enjoy time on the lake with family and friends. Recently, however, he was approached by Anson General Hospital, where he began his career as a hospital administrator, and asked to return on an interim basis to help the hospital navigate difficult financial times. He led the conversion of AGH to a Rural Emergency Hospital.