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Kiowa County Hospital District Board meeting minutes - April 25, 2023

Weisbrod Memorial Hospital in Eads, Colorado. © KiowaCountyPress.net / Chris Sorensen

RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS

BOARD MEETING

April 25, 2023

The Kiowa County Hospital District Board met in regular session on April 25, 2023, at 6:31 p.m. at the Cobblestone Inn Meeting Room.

District Board members present were Pam Cole, Mary Eikner, Doug Uhland, Karl Eikenberg, and Matt Prince.

Others present: Shannon Dixon, Shaelynn Rouse, Beth Bell, Rachel Bletzacker, Renay Crain, Gloria Trosper, Calvin Gaynor, Jodi Stolzenberger, Claire Prince, and Beth Spady.

CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order by Matt Prince, Chairman of the Board at 6:31 pm.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

A motion was made by Pam Cole to approve the March 28, 2023, minutes as presented. Motion seconded by Karl Eikenberg. All aye.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

A motion was made by Mary Eikner to approve the agenda after moving the Board Bylaws to executive session. The motion was seconded by Doug Uhland. All aye.

PUBLIC COMMENT

There were concerns voiced by Calvin Gaynor regarding hospital operations.

CREDENTIALING

Dr. Dana Greene and Dr. Jeffrey Alpert were approved for active privileges by Med Staff. Dr. Eric Wannamaker, Dr. Paraag Bhatt, and Dr. Richard Grzybowski were approved for telemedicine privileges by Med Staff. Motion to approve as presented by Mary Eikner. Seconded by Pam Cole. All aye.

POLICIES & PROCEDURES

The Board received a summary reflecting which department policies would be reviewed each month and their status.

STANDING REPORTS

CEO

The annual Health Fair had 222 participants over the two-day period. Special thanks to Gloria Trosper and Shannon Dixon for their hard work and efforts to make the fair successful.

KCHD will be celebrating Hospital Week the week of May 8, 2023. On Friday, KCHD is planning a community BBQ and carnival for the kids. Please help us spread the word and join us for a good time and good food.

The ambulance service had four individuals pass their EMT exam. Please congratulate and welcome Russ Watson, Christopher Pennell, Cynthia Newton, and Sterling Day. Our EMS advisor, Dr. DeWall attended a meet and greet with the ambulance crew last week.

There will be licensure changes for the ambulance starting in 2024. There are plans to move licensing from the county to the state level to ensure standardization.

The community health needs assessment provided good insight from the community on potential focus areas for KCHD. Long term strategic planning could be included in the feasibility study being conducted by the architecture group with a smaller group consisting of KCHD staff and Board members could determine immediate one-year goals.

The Board received several updates related to staffing. Caitlin Philpy will start seeing patients on Monday, May 1. Rachel Bletzacker will transition to the clinic around the end of May.

CFO

The Board received a written report from the CFO.

The March financials were reviewed and showed a loss for the month and year to date. In March, days cash on hand was 247 and days in AR was 73.

The backflow prevention system needs repair. A motion was made by Pam Cole to purchase the parts estimated at $5,100. Motion was seconded by Mary Eikner. All aye. Once the new parts are installed by maintenance, Van Brown has agreed to inspect the system.

CNO

KCHD is reviewing the pharmacy consultant contract.

Several staff at KCHD have received training on a wound care product called Vivex. KCHD is looking at options to market this service to surrounding facilities in southeast Colorado.

The first round of new beds (three total) have been ordered and are expected to be delivered the middle of May.

Jodi Stolzenberger will be assuming the role of CNO effective May 1.

A review of data through SQSS (Strategic Quality Support System) indicated a higher fall occurrence on specific days and times. A rounding process has been put in place and the third nurse will be present to assist especially during those times.

Staff have been assessing lifts and wheelchairs to ensure the equipment meets the individual needs of the patient.

The Clinical Services Coordinator office will be moved to the south end of the facility.

HOSPITAL QUALITY, SAFETY, & COMPLIANCE

KCHD has completed the community health needs assessment with assistance from Vertical Strategies. As discussed, this information will help drive the strategic planning of KCHD.

The Quality Report Scorecard was reviewed. Various measures including infection rate, medication errors, and falls were reviewed by the Board.

CLINIC

The Chronic Care Management (CCM) program continues to grow and provide resources and support for patients. There are currently 71 patients enrolled in the CCM program.

Staff have been collaborating with our local Regional Accountable Entity (RAE) to potentially obtain grant funding to assist with patient care.

The agreement with the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) has been signed so our MAs can now start the certification process.

As part of our Hospital Transformation Project (HTP), patients who have been discharged from the ED will be receiving a call to schedule follow up appointments.

OLD BUSINESS

QUALITY ASSURANCE PLAN IMPROVEMENT (QAPI)

The QAPI plan is being reviewed and revised by KCHD staff and will be presented to the Board for final approval in the next few months.

ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD SYSTEM (EMR)

After months of research and discussion, a motion was made to move forward with Cerner as the new EMR for KCHD. The projected monthly fee for Cerner is $40,232 but there may be other contract services that can be discontinued once Cerner is implemented. Motion made by Doug Uhland and seconded by Karl Eikenberg. All aye.

NEW BUSINESS

FACILITY FEASIBILITY STUDY

KCHD has visited and received bids from three different architecture firms. After review and discussion, a motion was made by Doug Uhland to move forward with WOLD and HFG in the feasibility study process due to their previous experience with critical access hospitals. The motion was seconded by Pam Cole. All aye.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

A motion was made by Dough Uhland to go into executive session for the purpose of contract negotiations pursuant to and as permitted by CRS 24-6-402(4)(e). Karl Eikenberg seconded the motion. All aye.

Executive session convened at 7:47 pm and was returned to regular session at 9:49 pm.