2015 Press Releases

December 31, 2015

South Central Kansas Medical Center has entered into an agreement with Integrity Health Professionals (IHP) to provide medical services through the hospital’s emergency department. IHP will provide night and weekend coverage beginning January 1, 2016.

December 22, 2015

A report released earlier this month by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced South Central Kansas Medical Center would receive a financial penalty due to the number of hospital acquired conditions (HAC) reported between July 1, 2012 and December 31, 2014.

                              November 25, 2015

Arkansas City, KS – South Central Kansas Medical Center is two months into the implementation of a new electronic medical records system for its emergency department. The new system is designed to make the patient’s information more accessible to healthcare providers, both within the emergency department and for follow up care.

November 13, 2015

South Central Kansas Medical Center was recently the recipient of a $20,000 donation provided by an area couple who wish to remain anonymous. The funds were donated to the hospital with the restriction that they be used towards debt service coverage for the replacement facility construction bonds.

October 5, 2015

Holly Harper, SCKMC’s Chief Financial Officer recently completed the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam, and Patricia McMains, the hospital’s Health Information Services Manager, completed a national certification program to become a Certified Coding Specialist.

September 18, 2015

SCKMC was honored to receive a gift of a POW-MIA flag on behalf of VFW Post 1254. The flag was presented during a special ceremony for National POW/MIA Recognition Day.

September 14, 2015

South Central Kansas Medical Center has partnered with text4baby – the first free texting service to provide health information to pregnant women and new moms starting with early pregnancy through a baby’s first year.

September 4, 2015

South Central Kansas Medical Center is on pace to set a new record for providing free or discounted medical services. Through August the medical center has absorbed $303,765 from patient accounts through the hospital’s Healthcare Financial Assistance Program (HFAP), more commonly known as charity care.

August 21, 2015

Ark City’s newest doctor began seeing patients full-time earlier this week. Dr. Adam Keesling is a family medicine provider with the Ark City Clinic.

August 21, 2015

Brandy Rice, a firefighter-paramedic with the Arkansas City Fire-EMS Department (ACFD), and part-time ER tech with SCKMC has been named the 2015 Paramedic of the Year by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT).

August 20, 2015

On August 29th Patterson Parkway will be invaded with dozens of people ready to test their strength and endurance during the first annual “SCKMC Landrush.” The Landrush is a 5K, 3.1 mile, race that includes twelve physical obstacles.

August 7, 2015

The Ark City City Commission approved an agreement to transfer funds to cover a shortfall for the hospital’s $1.2 million bond payment. Holly Harper, CFO made the request during Tuesday night’s meeting.

July 31, 2015

Virgil Watson, CEO of SCKMC, received word via e-mail on June 26th that the hospital has been approved for a change in their Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) designation. The hospital received the official notification of approval on July 31st. The new designation is called Sole Community Hospital status, a classification that is anticipated to produce hundreds of thousands in additional revenue for the medical center each year.  

July 30, 2015

Approximately forty people braved the morning rain showers to listen to Dr. Brian Hunt with Sunflower Telehospitalists LLC at South Central Kansas Medical Center Thursday morning.

July 22, 2015

Veterans in the Cowley County area are now able to receive healthcare services closer to home through a partnership with South Central Kansas Medical Center. The Veterans Choice Program is a temporary program to improve access to health care by allowing eligible veterans to use approved health care providers outside of VA.

June 17, 2015

“Dr. Roboto” as he has been named by the staff, is part of a new program allowing patients and nursing staff access to physicians remotely 24-hours a day. The service is called telemedicine and is being provided at SCKMC through a partnership with Eagle Telemedicine, based out of Atlanta, Georgia.

May 29, 2015

The birth of a baby is often considered one of the most exciting events a family will experience during their lives. It can also the most anxiety. SCKMC is now offering childbirth classes to help soon to be families achieve the most gratifying birth experience possible.

May 19, 2015

South Central Kansas Medical Center held its annual “Years of Service” luncheon on Wednesday, May 13th as part of the medical center’s National Hospital Week celebration. National Hospital Week is considered to be the nation’s largest healthcare event, celebrating the efforts of the hospital team and the care they provide.

May 7, 2015

May hosts two of the nation’s largest healthcare recognition weeks, National Nurses Week and National Hospital Week. South Central Kansas Medical Center is planning events for both of these special occasions.

May 1, 2015

The South Central Kansas Medical Center Board of Trustees appointed new officers for 2015 during their April meeting. Slade Griffiths was approved as Board Chairman; Carol Hearn as Vice Chair; JoLynn Foster as Treasurer; and Greg Norwood as Secretary.

April 15, 2015

The South Central Kansas Medical Center Annual Auxiliary Awards Luncheon was held on Tuesday, April 14th. The event is used to recognize those members who have shown an outstanding commitment to the hospital through out the past year. With over 50 active members, the organization provided a substantial impact to the hospital in 2014.

April 19, 2015

South Central Kansas Medical Center in Ark City is currently considering a proposal from Eagle to provide the telehospitalist service locally. The concept was discussed during the hospital’s February Board of Trustees meeting, with an onsite demonstration by Eagle scheduled to take place later this month.

April 9, 2015

South Central Kansas Medical Center is one of 15 hospitals in Kansas to receive the Women’s Choice Award® as America’s Best Hospitals for Emergency Care 2015. This is the second year in a row that SCKMC has received the award.

March 30, 2015

South Central Kansas Medical Center celebrated health information professionals during the 26th annual Health Information Professionals (HIP) Week from March 22-28, 2015. This year’s theme was “Reliable Information, Responsible Care.”

March 19, 2015

The South Central Kansas Medical Center Laboratory Department earned a “Zero-Deficiency” certification last week during a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) inspection.

March 12, 2015

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly 140,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year. It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. One local doctor is trying to reduce those numbers.

February 17, 2015

Arkansas City, KS – South Central Kansas Medical Center has been recognized by the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative (KHC) and the Kansas Hospital Association (KHA) for its participation in a three-year national partnership for patients initiative known as the Hospital Engagement Network (HEN).

February 6, 2015

A report released in December by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announcing SCKMC would receive a financial penalty due to a high number of hospital acquired conditions (HAC) made both local and regional headlines. Hospital administration was surprised to learn the facility had been named and began a prompt investigation into the newly established payment reduction program.

January 16, 2015

Virgil Watson has been the Chief Executive Officer at South Central Kansas Medical Center for less than two weeks. That has been more than enough time for him to collect his initial impressions of the quality of work performed by staff, the condition of the facility, and the general operation as it relates to the community.