MMH travels to regional consortium
A group representing Melissa Memorial Hospital traveled to Burlington a few weeks ago to network with other local hospitals and hear talks by prominent Colorado health care experts, MMH CEO Trampas Hutches reported at the Oct. 23 meeting of the East Phillips County Hospital District Board.
CFO Wes White, Operations Director Heather Cloward, Nursing Director Julianne Kramer, administrative assistant Diana Baeza and Hutches were among those who attended a meeting of the Eastern Plains Healthcare Consortium on Oct. 10.
Among the highlights of the event were talks by Colorado Healthcare Association President Steven Summer about disruption within the health care industry and Lincoln Community Hospital CEO Kevin Stansbury, who spoke on the central role of hospitals in rural communities. Also in attendance were representatives from the office of Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner.
Hutches said he will assume the role of EPHC president in November.
He also reported on MMH’s ongoing role as an athenahealth showcase hospital, which was first announced at the board’s Aug. 28 meeting.
Since being selected by the company to showcase its products in the region, MMH has received tour groups from Hugo, Burlington and Goodland, Kansas.
Hutches expressed his satisfaction with the ongoing relationship between MMH and athenahealth.
“What I like about athenahealth is when I tell them what we need, they act on it,” he said. “It’s nice to be able to work with the investment we have and make our investment better.”
Hutches also talked about an upcoming assessment that will analyze the health care needs of the community and areas where the hospital can expand its services. He said a committee will be meeting Nov. 8 to strategize and put together a public survey.
Board accepts DZA auditing bid
At the recommendation of Hutches and White, the board agreed to engage the services of Dingus, Zarecor & Associates PLLC for a three-year auditing contract.
The DZA bid, which is 79 percent of the cost of the hospital’s previous audit, was chosen over a lower bid because DZA was said to have responded faster to the hospital’s RFP and has more experience with hospital clients in Colorado.
White also presented the financial report for the month of September. The unaudited September income statement showed a net income of $250,666, and the year-to-date statement showed a net income of $299,377.
Inpatient and outpatient utilization varied compared to August. September saw 56 inpatient days compared to 42 in August. There were 75 emergency department visits in September compared to 108 in August.
Board president Steve Young pointed out that the net income for September made up a significant portion of the hospital’s year-to-date income and that the income from month to month in 2018 has been especially unpredictable.
“It seems like either things went really well or I’m not sure what happened,” Young said.
“It’s been a roller coaster,” Hutches answered.
Hutches also announced that the 40 surgical procedures performed in September was a monthly record for the hospital.
HR department reports
HR Director Sharon Greenman shared information with the board about the activities of her department, including the implementation of digital recordkeeping tools.
Ongoing changes and improvements in credentialing, evaluation and personnel policy management were reviewed by Greenman. She also spoke about recent efforts to introduce the Salamander system of ID badges, which includes personal information in a barcode that can be scanned and used to streamline disaster response procedures.
The department is also planning a retirement education session for employees through OneAmerica.
Surveys show mixed improvement
Quality surveys reviewed at the Oct. 23 meeting showed improvements in the areas of provider satisfaction, while other ratings of hospital environment and appointment wait times declined.
The Holyoke Family Practice survey showed an increase of 8.19 points in provider satisfaction, bringing the field up to 86.41 average out of 100. The likelihood of patients to recommend the facility also increased by 6.7 points, for an average of 84.7. However, the same survey also showed a 5.38 point decline in clients feeling their needs for appointment times were met.
Another inpatient survey showed increases in overall hospital rating, likelihood of recommendation, cleanliness, communication with nurses and the responsiveness of hospital staff. The areas of communication with doctors and overall hospital environment saw a decline.
Other business
In other business Oct. 23, the board:
— Approved opening a bank account at First Pioneer National Bank for the dental clinic.
— Accepted credentialing for two new appointments in family medicine, including Erin Hekmatpour, M.D., and Michael Matergia, M.D., as well as two new appointments in telepsychiatry, including Venkata Diddi, M.D., and Suzanne Newman, M.D.
— Accepted two reappointments in cardiology, including Lin-Wang Dong, M.D., and Cecilia Hirsch, M.D., as well as two in ophthalmology, including Tim Meyer, O.D., and Randall Smith, M.D., and one in radiology, Charles Hoo, M.D.
— Accepted five provisional ends / regular appointments, including Jason Rytlewski, M.D., in cardiology, James Twede, M.D., in dermatology, Derek Wright, M.D., in family medicine, David Board, M.D., in radiology, and Shana Nguyen, M.D., in telepsychiatry.
— Accepted the resignations of David Dalzell, M.D., in radiology, and Scott Gordon, M.D., in telepsychiatry.
— Held a 40-minute executive session for the purpose of negotiations and approved a motion to proceed with negotiations for a full-time on-site MRI scanner and a payroll adjustment.