In a letter to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the CEOs of Wyoming’s two largest hospitals and the head of Children’s Hospital Colorado urged the government to reject an effort by the state Department of Health that seeks to lower the cost of air ambulance trips, lodging a complaint that a state health official said was premature.
“We appreciate the work the State of Wyoming and its staff did in developing the waiver process, but we fear that the proposed waiver could limit access to that care and threaten the health of Wyoming children,” the CEOs wrote. “Therefore, we urge you to reject the proposed waiver until the needs of pediatric patients are addressed.”
The letter was signed jointly by Michele Chulick, the CEO of Wyoming Medical Center; Jena Hausmann, the CEO of Children’s; and Timothy Thornell, the CEO of Cheyenne Regional Medical Center.