The Kiowa County Hospital District and County Board met in regular session on January 28, 2020 at 6:32 p.m. at the Bransgrove Building Meeting Room. 

District Board members present were: Mary Eikner, Cathryn Anderson, Sylvia Shields, Dennis Pearson, and Priscilla Waggoner. 

County Board members present were: Kevin Davis, Ken Flory, Craig Kerfoot, Whitney Barnett and John Negley. 

Others present: Jan Richards and Donald Oswald of the KCEDF Board, Ellen Lane, Shannon Dixon, Char Korrell, Jessica Hyman, and Beth Spady. 

CALL TO ORDER 

The meeting was called to order by Priscilla Waggoner, Chairman of the Board at 6:32 pm.

COUNTY VOTING MEMBER SELECTION Craig Kerfoot, Whitney Barnett and John Negley.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES 

A motion was made by Sylvia Shields to approve the November 26, 2019 and December 3, 2019 minutes as presented. Motion seconded by Mary Eikner. All aye. 

Sylvia Shields also made a motion to approve the minutes of December 30, 2019 after the correction of a spelling error. Motion seconded by Mary Eikner. All aye. 

APPROVAL OF AGENDA 

A motion was made by Craig Kerfoot to approve the agenda as presented but requested the KCEDF discussion be moved to the top of the agenda. Motion seconded by Sylvia Shields. All aye. 

PUBLIC COMMENT 

No one was present for public comment.

KIOWA COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION (KCEDF) LAND PARCEL

The Board reviewed aerial maps showing acreage of the proposed KCHD campus to ascertain the amount of land needed to ensure adequate space. Ken Flory made a motion to rescind an earlier offer of $25,000 for approximately 18 acres. This motion was seconded by Kevin Davis. Craig Kerfoot and Dennis Pearson both abstain from the vote. All aye.

After discussion by the Board and representatives from the KCEDF Board, a motion was made by Ken Flory for KCEDF to conduct a survey for approximately ten acres of land. Mary Eikner seconded this motion. Craig Kerfoot and Dennis Pearson both abstain from the vote. All aye. 

Once the survey has been completed, the Board and KCEDF can then discuss the price of the land parcel. 

CREDENTIALING 

Dawn Back, PA and Dr. David Lenderts were reapproved for active privileges by Med Staff. Dr. Barry Schoelch was approved for telemedicine privileges by Med Staff. Dr. William Holm was approved for consulting privileges by Med Staff. Dr. Daniel LaPerriere, Dr. Ben Clower, and Dr. Rolf Kirby were approved for temporary privileges by Med Staff. A motion was made by Mary Eikner to approve all credentialing as presented above and seconded by Sylvia Shields. All aye. 

POLICIES & PROCEDURES 

The Board reviewed and discussed the summary of revisions to the swing bed, compliance, and HIP AA policies. Many of the changes were related to format and not to content. All policies were reviewed by the Policy Committee and approved by Med Staff. A motion was made by Sylvia Shields to approve all policies as discussed and seconded by John Negley. All aye. 

STANDING REPORTS 

CEO 

Elizabeth Bates of Health Technologies will be our new consultant for the dietary department. Jan Kochis, our previous consultant retired in December of 2019. 

KCHD will be contracting with Premier Purchasing starting in March of 2020 to obtain medical supplies, etc. at a discounted rate. 

Eide Bailly conducted our external 340B audit and will provide us with feedback in the next few weeks. 

Members of the Eastern Plains Healthcare Consortium (EPHC) will travel to Baltimore to meet with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Innovation Department to discuss their model of local care and collaboration. 

KCHD has met the requirements of the surprise billing disclosure effective January 1, 2020. The surprise billing disclosure has been combined with the consent for services. The disclosure statement has also been put into patient statements and posted at the clinic, hospital, and emergency department. 

A nurse practitioner candidate toured the KCHD facility and we are preparing to make an offer of employment. 

Southeast Health Group (SEHG) has a mobile unit coming to Eads once a month to assist with drug, alcohol, and opioid abuse.

Legal counsel is currently reviewing the agreement with Phase Three, a telehealth vendor, to assist with the chronic care management and cardiac rehab program. 

The Board received a summary of several upcoming updates and implementation changes to Colorado Health Care laws that will impact KCHD. 

The Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) conference will be held this year on March 4- 6, 2020. Board members who would like to attend should notify Char so that registration and reservation arrangements can be made. 

CFO 

The December financials were reviewed and showed a profit for the month and year to date. In December, days cash on hand was 149 and days in AR was 88. 

Our financial statements will be subject to change dependent on adjusting entries resulting from our annual audit review. 

CNO 

The new med room has been completed and is ready for state inspection. 

In December of 2019, our Avera eCare utilization rate was 26.7% so KCHD was above the benchmark of 20% access for the month. 

Staff participated in a debriefing meeting earlier this month. It was noted that Mary Eikner has been trained in this area and could be a potential resource. 

KCHD is offering the new version of Trauma Nurse Core Course (TNCC) to staff later this week. 

Eastern Plains Healthcare Consortium (EPHC) has implemented its staff sharing program and has received two applications. The focus is currently on nursing staff and the program will be shared with KCHD staff at the nursing meeting on January 29, 2020. 

Infection control policies specifically exposure control and needle stick are being reviewed by the Infection Control Committee. 

HOSPITAL QUALITY & SAFETY 

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

OLD BUSINESS 

AVERA eCARE 

KCHD continues to work with Avera eCare to provide inpatient hospital services.

DEPARTMENT OF LOCAL AFFAIRS (DOLA) 

KCHD has received $40,000 from El Pomar to assist with our HVAC project. Work will begin as soon as the contract with DOLA is approved. 

NEW BUSINESS 

POSTING PLACES/MEETING SCHEDULE 

The Board received a meeting schedule for 2020. Posting places will remain the same - Hospital, Post Office, Courthouse, and Clerk's office. 

The Board discussed holding future meetings at the Cobblestone Inn. A motion was made by Sylvia Shields to conduct KCHD meetings at the Cobblestone dependent on scheduling and fees. The motion was seconded by John Negley. Craig Kerfoot abstains from the vote. All aye. 

AMBULANCE/HOSPITAL AGREEMENTS 

Craig Kerfoot motioned to approve the intergovernmental agreements between Kiowa County Hospital District and Kiowa County Commissioners for ambulance and hospital services in Kiowa County. Motion was seconded by Mary Eikner. All aye. 

The Board briefly discussed the option of combining the Ambulance and Fire District. This will be something to look at in the future after collecting data to determine the advantages and disadvantages of this change on our community. 

2020 ELECTION 

The terms for Mary Eikner, Priscilla Waggoner, Sylvia Shields, and Dennis Pearson are up this year. KCHD will have 3 three-year terms and 1 two-year term to fill. 

Whitney Barnett made a motion to approve the resolution to appoint Beth Spady as the Designated Election Official for the special district election scheduled for Tuesday, May 5, 2020 which we plan to conduct as a mail ballot election and may be cancelled if needed by the Designated Election Official. Motion was seconded by Mary Eikner. All aye. 

ADJOURNMENT 

The meeting was adjourned at 8:23 pm. Motion by Sylvia Shields and seconded by Mary Eikner. All aye.

Respectfully submitted,

Kiowa County Hospital District Board 

Sylvia Shields, Secretary-Treasurer