RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS

BOARD MEETING

March 28, 2023

The Kiowa County Hospital District Board met in regular session on March 28, 2023, at 6:34 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, Cindy McLoud, Beth Bell, Rachel Bletzacker, Renay Crain, Gloria Trosper, VCBO staff, and Beth Spady.

CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order by Matt Prince, Chairman of the Board at 6:34 pm.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

A motion was made by Pam Cole to approve the February 28, 2023, minutes as presented.  Motion seconded by Doug Uhland.  All aye.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

A motion was made by Pam Cole to approve the agenda as presented.  The motion was seconded by Karl Eikenberg.  All aye.

PUBLIC COMMENT

There was no public comment.

PRESENTATION

VCBO Architecture visited with the Board about their background and the services they offer.  The VCBO group toured KCHD earlier in the day and will send a proposal to conduct a feasibility study for the Board to consider.

CREDENTIALING

Caitlin Philpy, NP, Rick Hammack, NP, Judith Mago, PA, and Dr. Christina McLaughlin were approved for active privileges by Med Staff.  Dr. Christopher Harness was approved for telemedicine privileges by Med Staff.  Motion to approve as presented by Doug Uhland.  Seconded by Karl Eikenberg.  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 Board received several updates related to staffing.  Carl Blodgett joined KCHD as the Maintenance Manager and Jodi Stolzenberger will be the new CNO starting on May 1, 2023.  Several travel candidates have been interviewed for the Medical Laboratory Tech (MLT) position.

KCHD has reached out to several architecture firms for bids on a facility feasibility study.  The Board would like to have three proposals to review.  Staff continue to look at potential funding sources including Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS), Rural Access Funds, and USDA.

Staff visited Haxtun Hospital which is the most similar to KCHD.  Several contacts were made in efforts to share information and discuss ways to support each other.

A few staff and Board members attended the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) conference.  The Board received slides from several of the presentations for future reference.

KCHD received notice that the facility fee legislation will not apply to critical access hospitals.

As part of the COVID Emergency Wind Down, there will be several changes to testing, screening, and monitoring for COVID.  Patients, staff, and visitors will no longer need to be screened starting April 1, 2023.  Testing will no longer be free so those who need to be tested for COVID will be charged.

CFO

The Board received a written report from the CFO.

The February financials were reviewed and showed a loss for the month and year to date.  In February, days cash on hand was 239 and days in AR was 73.

KCHD has closed on the duplex so the financials will reflect a new line item for the loan starting in April of 2023.

The Health Fair is scheduled for April 14 and 15 from 7am–11am at the Eads Elementary School.

Planning is underway for Hospital Week which is May 8 through May 12.  On Friday, KCHD will host the annual BBQ and will also incorporate a circus/carnival for the community.

CNO

The Emergency Department (ED) protocols have been updated and will be reviewed at the next Med Staff meeting.  The floor in the ED was buffed and the walls received a new coat of paint.

Staff will complete education on the Accuvein through Strategic Quality Support System (SQSS).

Several staff from KCHD attended the Lamar Community College Advisory Council.  The area is seeing a significant drop in enrollment into health care related fields.

Chelsea Crosby passed the RN Boards and four students (Russ Watson, Cynthia Newton, Christopher Pennell, and Sterling Day) successfully passed the EMT exam.

HOSPITAL QUALITY, SAFETY, & COMPLIANCE

KCHD continues to work on the community health needs assessment.  KCHD and Vertical Strategies will be hosting the last community meeting next Monday.  The group will review the areas of concern and narrow the focus to a few items.  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 clinic hours of operation will change on April 1, 2023.  The clinic will now be open to the community from 7:30 am- 5:00 pm Monday through Friday and 9:00 am – 1:00 pm on Saturdays.

Several patients have transferred their care to the clinic in anticipation of seeing Caitlin Philpy.

Letters will be mailed to all of Abby Huff’s patients advising them of Abby’s departure but reminding them of the other qualified providers on staff who can provide them with care.

The Chronic Care Management (CCM) program continues to grow and provide resources and support for patients. Staff will be marketing the CCM program at the Health Fair.

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

HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

KCHD has requested bids for the installation of a privacy fence on the north side of the property.  Staff are in the process of purchasing furnishings for the duplex.

BOARD BYLAWS

The Board Bylaws are under review and will be tabled until next month’s meeting.

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.

NEW BUSINESS

ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD SYSTEM (EMR)

Staff continues to review options for a new EMR.  The two programs being reviewed are EPIC which could be possible through grant funding and Cerner.  Our current EMR, Athena costs approximately $29,000 per month.  Cerner would be a flat rate of $36,000/monthly.

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 8:44 pm and was returned to regular session at 9:52 pm.

PUBLIC COMMENT

There was no public comment.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 9:52 pm.  Doug Uhland made the motion to adjourn.  The motion was seconded by Karl Eikenberg.  All aye.

Respectfully submitted,

Kiowa County Hospital District Board

Pam Cole, Secretary-Treasurer