Author photo

By Michele Smith
The Times 

CCHS Adopts Five-Year Strategic Plan

 


DAYTON—In December, the Columbia County Health System commissioners adopted a five-year strategic business plan, representing a 12-month effort for CEO Shane McGuire.

“A $1.5 billion Medicaid Waiver received by the State of Washington to reform the healthcare delivery system, and change payment models creates new opportunities, and with strategic planning, these can be leveraged to position the district for better reimbursement rates, and also to deliver better integrated and higher quality care,” McGuire said.

The plan, called Healthcare 360, identifies major challenges facing the hospital district and maps out specific actions to take over the next five years.

“I feel very good about moving forward with that,” McGuire told the commissioners at their December meeting.

In his report, McGuire said that formulation of forward-looking, long-term goals and objectives has been a struggle in the recent past, and that while annual goals have been established, much of the focus has been on basic survival.

“The district has suffered years of marginal performance, declining volumes, and decreased reimbursements, with 2015 audited financials showing a $1,011,497 operating loss,” McGuire said.

Specifically, Healthcare 360 identifies five major challenges:

Aging populations are driving the need for additional services for seniors.

The numbers of people living in Waitsburg and in Dayton, who are over the age of 65 is rising from 23% in 2010 to a projected percentage of 30.5%, by 2020, and that requires a reassessment of the delivery methods for health care to the aging population.

The district is now one of only five in the state to maintain a long-term care, skilled nursing facility. This, coupled with a state-wide decline in support, correlates with the high Medicaid resident census and low Medicaid reimbursements, resulting in many years of financial hardship for the district.

There is a lack of access to some mental and behavioral health services.

For instance, patients requiring advanced psychotropic medication management cannot receive those services in Dayton. And adults are experiencing a three month wait time in Walla Walla for access to a qualified behavioral health nurse practitioner, and there is a seven month wait time for children.

McGuire said that working with local behavior resources to meet the needs of the community and exploring opportunities is an essential part of the plan.

There is a changing model for delivery of primary care.

In 2010, both CCHS clinics began taking steps towards obtaining “Patient Centered Medical Home” recognition, in order to integrate behavioral health services with primary care provider care. PCMH recognition will allow for optimal Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement payment models.

There is a high rate of staff turnover.

McGuire said the Hospital District has a significantly higher annual and first-year rate of staff turnover, excluding nursing staff, according to a Washington State Healthcare Human Resources Association publication.

The Hospital District is financially fragile.

When compared to other critical access hospitals and hospitals in the state with under $20 million in gross revenue, the district is in a more tenuous position, with less cash on hand. There is also more long-term debt to net position percentage than most hospitals in the state, with heavy reliance on the tax base to service that debt.

McGuire’s report outlines four objectives to implement new programs and services to develop a stable, skilled work force, to achieve financial sustainability, and to increase the quality of care for patients, and he discusses each in detail in his plan.

“This plan will support the mission and vision of Columbia County Public Hospital District #1, and in implementing this strategic plan we will remain faithful to the district’s core values: to promote optimal community wellness; act with compassion, integrity and professionalism; to maintain confidentiality; be responsible stewards of current and future resources; and foster a culture of continuous improvement,” McGuire said.

McGuire based Healthcare 360 on an internal needs assessment of the hospital district, and on Triple Aim, a three tiered program developed by Don Berwick, a nationally recognized Harvard professor, pediatrician, and one-time head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

“Triple Aim works to achieve better health for the population, better care for individuals, and lower cost through improvement, and the district’s goals need to align with it,” McGuire said.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, the district’s largest payers, have built Triple Aim into the State Innovation Grants, which will provide resources to help the Hospital District meet its goals, McGuire said.

For more information about Healthcare 360, contact the CCHS Administration office at 382-2531 ext. 2.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024

Rendered 03/16/2024 03:35