The Monroe County Hospital Board learned about what role of the safety team and some things they have implemented at the hospital during their August board meeting.
Some of the things the team has implemented or is in charge of are annual fire safety training, severe weather awareness/drills, disaster boxes with 2-way radios, and run/hide/fight department walk throughs identifying places to hide in case of violent intruders in the building. During those walk throughs they also identified the need to change door locks to make them usable from inside rooms and that has been done.
On the patient front, the team talks about things like how to make sure patient identification is always a priority. A patient is always asked their name and birthdate or has that information on their hospital bracelet to help prevent patient mix ups. The team also is always open to hear departmental safety concerns and help find solutions for them and also completes safety culture surveys.
According to the statistical and financial reports, total patient days were down 21 percent year to date for July and total admissions were even with last year. Total outpatients were up four percent year to date and health clinic visits were down seven percent year to date. Outpatient clinic visits were up 76 percent year to date
Gross revenue for July was up 13.4 percent and net revenue was up 36.1 percent.
Total expenses were $2,956,000, up 15.3 percent from last year and $183,600 under budget. The operating margin was $41,412 or 1.4 percent. The total margin was $220,606 or 6.9 percent.
The board received a capital request for up to $40,000 to buy a used truck for the maintenance department. According to staff the hospital uses off site storage and maintenance workers sometimes have to transport things back and forth.
They also sometimes have to buy gas for the mowers, buy things at Menards, borrow equipment from neighboring hospitals, or pick up nurses and equipment if a patient is transported to a nursing home and they often use their own personal vehicles for these tasks. Instead of continuing that, the staff would like to purchase a truck.
They are looking for a used vehicle and wanted to get approval for an amount they could potentially spend but do not have a specific vehicle in mind right now. They originally asked for up to $25,000 to be approved but th board raised the amount to $40,000 to give the staff more options when looking for a vehicle.
The board also talked about storage needs and future planning to build storage on site. Records, maintenance equipment and extra hospital equipment currently has to be stored off site as there is not enough storage space at the hospital. The board thought adding needed storage space in the future was a good idea.
The board approved the MCHC FY25 Quality Improvement Indicator Dashboard,
The board approved the review/revision of policies and procedures as presented.
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The board approved credentialing for Radiology Partners, adding Kevin Keele, MD, and Hasan Safiuddin, MD, and removing Aiman Kasasbeh, MD, They also approved credentialing for Avel eHospitalists adding Katherine Vosburg MD, changing the name of Sanya (Reed) Kayani, MD and removing Tamera Sturm, DO and Integrated Telehealth Partners removing Maria Cada ARNP.
On Aug. 6-7 employee forums were held to introduce the new mission, vision, pillars and standards of behavior. Each employee also received two t-shirts with the new mission statement.
The latest employee engagement score has been released by Press Ganey and MCHC received an overall engagement score of 4.57 out of 5. They are in the 98th percentile for engagement, the highest among all MercyOne affiliates surveyed. The score was 0.34 points above the average score of the other MercyOne affiliates. The survey indicated that employees are proud to work at MCHC and are likely to recommend MCHC as an excellent place to work and receive care.
In August MCHC launched a committee dedicated to the mental health and well-being of employees. The committee consists of 10 members, and aims to raise awareness and provide education on mental health issues. It also seeks to offer support and resources for those in need and advocate for mental health initiatives within the organization.
No patient falls, no 30-day readmissions,and no infections were reported for the previous month.
MCHC will go live with their new phone system on Sept. 18. They will also be replacing their IT Security Training solution PHI Protect with KnowBe4.
MCHC is also actively pursuing their first artificial intelligence related solution which they expect to be a great benefit for their providers in helping to capture detailed patient notes in real-time. They are working with Cerner for proposal acceptance, and are actively working on the necessary consent forms and security policies to implement with patient data protections in mind.
According to MCHC CEO Veronica Fuhs, staff is excited about it and have talked with providers in Minnesota currently using the program. It can transcribe words exchanged during patient visits into easy to understand and follow notes while removing unneeded things like greetings and small talk.
MCHC has also introduced their first apprenticeship program for the role of surgical technologist. The program is only being offered internally at this point and has had several applicants.
The apprenticeship will combine on-the-job training with online classroom instruction, providing participants with practical experience and theoretical knowledge.
Apprentices will be paid during their training, and tuition is fully covered through a grant. MCHC is planning two more apprenticeships in the near future.
The board also received the bylaws of the board for review and approval will be discussed during their September meeting.
