MMH board reviews 2022 audit
The board of directors of Melissa Memorial Hospital met on Tuesday, May 30 for an administrative review, the focus of which was the 2022 audit report.
Finances
According to the 2022 audit report, the hospital’s operations showed less efficiency in 2022 than in 2021, but this was a trend across the industry. The cash that has been built up from the Provider Relief Fund and the Payment Protection Program loans is being “burned through.” Medicare paid substantially more for the services provided for Medicare beneficiaries this year than in the prior year; what’s driving the increase in Medicare reimbursement is the hospital’s increase in cost. Medicare is a cost-based program that is reimbursing for the cost of taking care of the Medicare beneficiaries, so there is essentially no profit in it. In years where expenses go up, they pay more.
In other operating expenses, salaries were relatively flat between years; that’s not normal, but there has been some physician turnover that may have been driving part of that, according to the report.
Long term debt is going down significantly. $1.2 million is coming back from Medicare; it will take 2 or 3 months for that check to arrive.
The board moved to accept the audit report.
Indicators
Total inpatient days went up from 18 days in March to 23 days in April. Total swing bed days went down from 62 days in March to 27 days in April. Total ED visits went down from 99 to 87. Total surgeries went up from 16 to 17. Family practice of Holyoke visits went up from 673 to 729. Hometown pharmacy script fills went down from 2726 to 2525. Specialty clinic visits went down from 133 to 101.
HR Report
The board named IT Help Desk Technician Kimmy Michael as Employee of the Month.
May new-hires include Karen Bills, Inpatient Pharmacist; Jerry Patterson, Paramedic PRN; Sarai Trejo Ortiz, EVS; Amanda Jantz, OR RN; and Kaylee Camblin, Radiology.
Open positions include CNO, Director EMS, EVS (part time), OR (RN and Scrub Tech), PT/OT/ST/PTA, HIM Clerk, CNA/LPN/RN, and EMT/Paramedic.
There will be two interns coming in from Ogalala commons, and several other interns are interested in coming to work at MMH this summer.
The engagement survey came back, it is being reviewed and will be presented to the board in at the end of June.
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