State OKs new Cape long-term care hospital

A new long-term health-care facility cleared a big hurdle Monday when the state issued a certificate of need, declaring that the 30-bed, acute-care hospital is warranted in the Cape Girardeau area.

The Missouri Health Facilities Review Committee voted unanimously Monday in Jefferson City to approve a certificate of need for Landmark Hospital of Cape Girardeau, a $5 million facility that is proposed for 3255 Independence St.

Tom Piper, director of the state's Certificate of Need program, said the committee looked at the financial feasibility in the area as well as whether there is a need for such a facility -- which would be the only of its kind between St. Louis and Memphis.

The committee looks at the population of the service area, how many diagnostic-related groups there are and how many patients the hospitals discharge that might take advantage of such a hospital, Piper said.

"The committee looked at several ways that determine need, all of which showed a need larger than the 30 beds they requested," Piper said.

Certificate in the mail

Piper said the certificate would be in the mail today to the newly formed company called Landmark Hospital of Cape Girardeau LLC.

Landmark would provide diagnostic and medical treatment and rehabilitation to patients with chronic diseases or complex medical conditions. This hospital would be for those who are too sick for skilled nursing facilities and yet probably not sick enough to warrant occupying the intensive care beds of regular acute-care facilities like Saint Francis Medical Center or Southeast Missouri Hospital on a long-term basis. Those hospitals are primarily for short-term stays.

Michael Norman, the company's chief executive officer, said that construction will begin as soon as possible on the $5 million building and they are hoping to open the facility in February or March of next year.

Norman said the hospital still has to be licensed by the state and get certified to accept Medicare. He expects about 90 percent of the hospital's patients will be Medicare patients. The hospital will serve a 25-county area in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois, he said.

Saint Francis will actually control about 30 percent of the operations at the Landmark Hospital while Landmark partners Norman and Dr. William Kapp will hold the other 70 percent. The new hospital won't compete with the local hospitals or nursing homes, Norman said. He said it will rely on referrals from both hospitals and won't operate an emergency service.

smoyers@semissourian.com

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