The following information stems from details and items discussed at yesterday’s Dickinson County Healthcare System Hospital Board of Trustees meeting.
The hospital board reviewed and approved the financial report for April of 2019. The healthcare system had $8,294,191 in total operating revenue and operating expenses totaling $7,696,469 that resulted in operating income of $597,722. After the calculation of non-operating revenue and expenses, April closed with a positive bottom line of $550,144.
The DCHS Interim CEO, Jeanne Goche, provided a restructuring update:
The restructuring plan implementation and roll out began last week. We will have another major phase occurring next week which is largely positive and includes a “shifting of seats on the bus” to give employees opportunities to move forward and contribute more fully to the future direction of the organization. We are being careful about communications making sure the people who are affected by the changes are informed, prior to going public. Related to the pension, a third-party administrator is developing a pension plan manual and we hope to have a FAQ-type sessions and materials available in July or August, hopefully sooner.
As part of the DCHS Safety Annual Report, John Cox, RN and Chair of the Safety Committee, delivered an update on the safety initiatives and advanced safety programs. The Committee’s goal is to improve safety within the hospital for both patients and staff, while meeting and or exceeding the requirements set forth by the Joint Commission. DCHS has achieved all of the 2018 goals and passed a recent Joint Commission review with a score of 100%. The goals for 2019 are being met and additional safety programs are being implemented, such as Active Shooter training and Advanced Overhead Emergency Notification procedures. Congratulations are due to the entire DCHS staff for their hard work on improving safety methods throughout the hospital.
County Board Liaison, Joe Stevens, shared positive feedback about the recent financial successes at DCHS and the progress that is being made. Communication from the hospital has been well received and the entire team is doing a great job. Joe recommended sharing the meeting minutes on line for the community to see.
During citizens’ time:
- A family who lost a loved one expressed concerns that they had about the treatment of their situation during an extremely emotional time. The event did involve law enforcement and has legal barriers that prevented an in-depth discussion. The Board expressed their deep regrets to the family and after the Board meeting, a discussion was held with the family to try and answer the questions that were posed.
- The question was asked, “Where are you with USDA loan?” Major work is occurring both internally and externally. Bart Stupak of Venable LLP is leading that charge and DCHS Interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jerry Worden is going to be spending a lot of time over the next few months putting the USDA refinancing application together. The target date for application submission is mid-July and we have engaged a team of experts to assist us in putting together a package to present to the USDA. There are no guarantees and the loan application will have to be approved at both the State level and then the Federal level. We are working hard and we are optimistic that our efforts will be successful.
- The Defined Benefit Pension Plan continues to be a topic of discussion and unfortunately, the Hospital Board of Trustees and the Subcommittee on Pensions and Retirement are unable to answer these complicated and detailed questions individuals have, and they don’t want to misspeak. The experts that have been hired to manage and administer the plan are close to sharing an update and will soon be on hand to assist in answering the questions of the plan participants.
- Are there any additional layoffs coming through the restructuring? As we work more with each department and better understand operations, there may be the need to figure out some issues, but no, we are done with layoffs. A new organizational chart will be shared that will depict the new structure.
Tamara Juul, Executive Director of the Dickinson Hospital Foundation delivered an update:
The Hospital Foundation Board approved and distributed mini-grants throughout many departments in the hospital to help fund some of their immediate needs. DCHS Scholarship winners will be announced next week. The Huron Memorial Scholarship and the Employee Scholarship totaling over $10,000 will be awarded for educational programs and tuition. The Hospital Foundation Golf Outing is Thursday, September 5, 2019, at Pine Grove Country Club.
Additional April 2019 Financial Data: A review of patient activity throughout the month of April showed the following:
- Cared for 179 inpatients;
- Cared for 13,497 patients in the outpatient hospital setting including the Emergency Department;
- Cared for 9,672 patients in physician offices;
- Cared for 915 patients in the Emergency Department; and
- Uncompensated Care provided for the month totaled $792,588.
April’s performance brought the year-to-date for 2019 to an operating income of $1,330,365. After the calculation of non-operating revenue and expenses through April 2019, the year-to-date bottom line is a positive $1,022,903.
