CCH Board Meets
Published: Claiborne
Independent
December 24, 2008
by W. Lee
Brame
After an almost two
hour public workshop on Friday, Dec. 12, the Claiborne County Hospital Board
asked Mercy Health Systems if Mercy was interested in continuing the
management contract with the hospital.
Workshop and Board
members closely examined the current contract and concluded that the
contract was in the hospital’s and community’s best interest. Jack Bryan,
Mercy Health Systems representative to CCH replied that Mercy is interested
in continuing the relationship.
Board members asked
Mercy to prepare any requested changes to the contract for discussion at a
joint workshop tentatively planned for Jan. 13.
The current
management contract with Mercy Health systems requires Mercy to appoint the
hospital administrator (with board approval) and gives Claiborne County
Hospital access to Mercy’s significantly larger volume discounts for generic
hospital supplies. Discussion during the Board meeting indicates that
Claiborne County and Mercy Health Systems are both interested in exploring
further synergies that may be beneficial to both parties. Mercy’s
recommendation of Dan Colón as Hospital Administrator during the last year
has paid dividends as Hospital business practices continue to improve. This
month’s financial report indicated that all business units (except one)
within the hospital operated in the black this month with losses by employed
physicians noticeably less than expected. Overall, combined hospital
operations made just over $65,000 in November 2008 compared to a loss of
$76,000 for November 2007.
For November,
hospital admissions and outpatient visits were both down while emergency
room (ambulance runs) were up over 20 percent. Close attention to supply and
personnel management during November contributed to the successful month.
For the fiscal year to date, the hospital has operated in the black.
Keeping the hospital
in the black is important to the community as a whole since hospital profits
fund equipment maintenance, modernization and staff training. At the
recommendation of the staff, the board voted to replace (as opposed to
repair without guarantee) an aged bronchoscope and a telemetry unit that
monitors cardiac activity in hospitalized patients. Updated hospital
regulations require that analogue telemetry units be replaced by more
reliable digital units early in 2009. The board’s decision to modernize the
equipment now will keep the hospital in compliance with the new rules. Votes
in favor of the capital improvements were unanimous.
