The Health Minister says no decision has been made on the future of Our Lady's Hospital in Navan or its emergency department.
The HSE believes changes will make the facility safer for patients, while also denying that closing the A&E and ICU beds is a downgrade.
It will be replaced by a GP-referred 24 hour medical assessment unit and injury unit.
HSE Chief Clinical Officer, Dr Colm Henry, claims it makes sense.
"It's good for patients who have strokes, heart attacks and major trauma that we bring them to the right hospitals first time," he added.
"Now we are looking at the next step which is for those who are critically ill and we not sure of the diagnoses in the community.
"It's good for those patients in the Meath region who we are going to identify support and resuscitation for, through an enhanced ambulance system.
"And certainly this will be an enhanced hospital system."
Meanwhile, Deputy Brendan Smith says that any loss of services in Navan would impact a wide region including parts of Cavan and Monaghan.
He also highlighted the "additional pressures" that would be levelled at Cavan General Hospital as a consequence.
Deputy Smith said the hospital is already working to more than full capacity.
