FARMINGTON — Franklin Memorial Hospital plans to keep the same services with expansion for some services if its license changes to  become a Critical Access Hospital, a plan that would reduce its bed count from 65 beds to 25 beds.

Barbara Sergio, president of Franklin Memorial Hospital and Franklin Community Health Network, makes a point Wednesday during a public forum at the hospital on a change of license to Critical Access Hospital in Farmington. Donna M. Perry/Sun Journal

The hospital officials intend to apply to a Critical Access Hospital. It would be licensed on paper for 25 inpatient beds but still have 48 physical beds between medical/surgical, intensive care, obstetrics and pediatrics with some being used for observation patients, not inpatients, hospital President Barbara Sergio told those gathered at a public forum on Wednesday.

The hospital has five swing beds that brings the total license to 70 beds.

The average inpatient census is 22-25, but cannot exceed the annual average of 25 inpatient census. The 48 beds will remain open.

Critical Assess will keep the same outpatient services of laboratory, imaging and day surgery. It will also keep the hospital services/ departments of medical/surgical, obstetrics, emergency department, occupational health, medical department offices, therapies, mammography.

No positions will be lost, Sergio said.

The hospital is making the change because of regulation change based on the distance between FMH and nearest hospitals of Redington-Fairview in Skowhegan and Rumford Hospital in Rumford. The key is a federal regulation changed in late 2002 which expanded the distance criteria from 35 miles to another hospital to include or a 15-mile drive of mountainous terrain, or area with only secondary roads, Sergio said.

The hospital is currently considered a sole community hospital.

The plan to go to a Critical Access Hospital on Oct. 1, it is the first day of its new fiscal year. There will be no change for patients who are there on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.

The majority of patients will not see an increase in cost, she said. There be a change in copays that a small portion of the hospital’s traditional Medicare patients will see, she said.

“This is roughly 15% of our patient populations and the increase is charged by Medicare and not the hospital, Sergio said. Franklin Memorial also has programs to help those who are struggling with medical bills for those eligible, she added.

Under the critical access hospital status the hospital would be paid at 101% of reasonable costs by Medicare/Medicaid. Currently Franklin Memorial reimbursed between 40% to 60% of cost to provide care for Medicare or Medicaid patients, according to information in a pamphlet at the meeting.

On average, it has inpatient length of stay less than 96 hours.

Barbara Sergio, president of Franklin Memorial Hospital and Franklin Community Health Network addresses those gathered Wednesday during a public forum at the hospital on a change of license to Critical Access Hospital in Farmington. Donna M. Perry/Sun Journal

Critical Access Hospitals is a change in provider designation and not a downgrade, Sergio said.

There are 16 Critical Access Hospitals in the states including Rumford Hospital and Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway.

The hospital having some remodeling done.  They have just recently opened a cardiology clinic and they are working on increasing space for oncology patients. Administration offices and other professional offices will be moved to another building adjacent to the hospital. It also plans to have a different entrance for people who walk into the emergency department to be treated. The ambulance entrance will remain the same.

They are adding six to eight rooms to the emergency department among other changes, improvements.

Some Franklin County residents voiced concerns about some long waits including an older parent who came to the hospital with a possible heart attack. The man was in the emergency department for 12 hours before he was moved to a bed in a room. People have also been treated in hallways.

There will be a plan in place to take care of patients when they run out of physical beds. Sometimes it is a staffing issue and it takes longer to move a patient into a bed in a room, Sergio said.

“If all 48 beds are full, we will have to figure out where are going to patients,” she said.

The emergency department volumes are up. Used to be 1,200 to 1,300 a year and now it is up to 1,700s, Sergio said.

They have a needs assessment done every three years to see what people feel is needed. They have added staff including two new psychiatrists, a new pain medicine physician.

Sergio said they will be doing another public forum, meeting with selectmen in different towns and possibly a Facebook Live to inform people about the change.