A patient and pharmacist at the Rosebud Indian Hospital on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. Photo from U.S. Public Health Service Pharmacists / Facebook

Another Indian Health Service facility in the Great Plains is losing a major source of funding after the agency failed to correct long-standing problems.

The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Service will terminate certification for the Rosebud Hospital on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation on March 16, according to a letter posted by The Sioux Falls Argus Leader. The agency cited violations in at least 7 categories, including those affecting medical staff, nursing services and emergency services.

The loss of certification means the IHS will no longer be able to bill Medicare for services, according to a press release that the IHS sent to The Todd County Tribune, a paper on the reservation. Medicaid funding will be impacted and numerous other services "will likely be reduced" as a result, the IHS said.

“Where will these folks go for health care? Medicaid expansion wasn’t a perfect fix, but it at least provided avenues for Native Americans to receive care at facilities closer to their home or for services not offered at an IHS hospital. Now – Medicaid expansion is desperately needed to give Native Americans any option at all," Michael Ewald, the communications director for the South Dakota Democratic Party, said in a press release.

Last July, the IHS lost certification at the Winnebago Service Unit, which serves the Omaha Tribe and the Winnebago Tribe in Nebraska. Nebraska is also part of the Great Plains region.

A third facility -- the Pine Ridge Service Unit, which serves the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota -- has been threatened with a loss of certification as well.

Get the Story:
Feds deal blow to Rosebud IHS hospital (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 3/2)
Reservation hospital to lose Medicare, Medicaid money (AP 3/1)

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