MUSC has reached an agreement with the Lake City Community Hospital and Williamsburg Regional Hospital to allow them to build, own and operate a new replacement hospital.
The announcement came in a press release Friday. The new $50 million hospital would be a 25-bed critical access facility and will offer virtual visits through the MUSC Telehealth Network.
The press release says that critical access hospitals serve small, rural populations and receive cost-based adjusted reimbursements for Medicare services.
The new hospital will serve the Lower Florence and Williamsburg Counties. When it opens both Lake City Community Hospital and Williamsburg Regional Hospital will transfer all operations for inpatient and outpatient services to the new MUSC hospital.
“Maintaining and expanding access to health care in rural areas across our state is a challenge that my administration is committed to addressing head on,” said Gov. Henry McMaster. “With tremendous partners like MUSC, the innovation and creativity that is required to succeed in this endeavor is on full display. We can all be encouraged by what today’s news means for the future of health care in Williamsburg and Florence counties, and grateful for what MUSC’s commitment to seeing a healthier South Carolina means for our future.”
“MUSC is charged with preserving and optimizing the health of the people of our state through education, research and patient care,” said MUSC President David J. Cole, M.D., FACS. “To fulfill our mission, we must be ready to serve patients across the expanse of the Palmetto State, not just in urban areas.”
“This collaboration with MUSC opens the door to a new model for rural health care, one that leverages telehealth and advanced practice providers,” said Julie Floyd, chair of the board for Williamsburg Regional Hospital.
Funding options for the new hospital are being explored. The exact location for the new hospital has not been finalized, but several are under review. The new hospital is expected to open as soon as fall of 2022.