DAYTON - "January was a bang-up month," Columbia County Health System CEO Shane McGuire told the Board of Commissioners at last week's meeting.

McGuire was referring to the $1.7 million growth revenue for January, before accounting treatments.

"Revenue for all of 2016 averaged only about $1.43 million per month, including the months before our rate increases were applied," said Hospital Controller Tom Meyers in his report to the commissioners.

"This is a good start!" he added.

In his picture of the financial activity for January, Meyers said there were 24 acute care patient days in January, which matched the highest counts from two other months, and doubled the patient days for December.

Acute swing bed patient days in January were the third highest, historically, and when combined with acute patient days, the two areas were also the third highest historically, he said.

Meyers said there were 154 patient visits in the Emergency Department, which is nine higher than the previous historic high of 145, in September 2016.

The number of radiology procedures in January exceeded all the months of 2016, except for August, he said.

The Booker Rest Home shows the highest daily average of resident days since September, 2016, said Meyers.

"Lab tests seemed to rebound with the increase in acute and acute swing bed volumes rising," he said.

"Respiratory therapy procedures were about eight percent higher than our best month of 2016," said Meyers.

The only low point for January was in the Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy departments, where procedures dropped due to inclement weather in January.

Meyers said the accounting department has spent the better part of the last four weeks preparing for and working with the auditors from the accounting firm DZA, pulling reports, diagnosing and working on audit and cost reports.

Hospital renovation and enhancement

McGuire said that from a budget perspective, the hospital renovation and enhancement project is 63% complete after the January pay application.

In Phase II, door frames have been installed, lead shielding has been completed on wall board, electrical and mechanical rough-in is complete, sheetrock taping and mudding is being performed, store fronts have been installed and doors have power, and exterior soffits and siding are being finished on the new entrance and G111 corridor, he said.

McGuire said there have been two preplanning meetings to discuss Phase III of the project.

He also said that if everything continues to go well, there should be around $149,000 left over from the construction budget to perform additional work.

Commissioner Wes Leid said he would like to see more windows placed in the therapy pool area.

"We'll come to theboard later, and see what else can be done," McGuire said.

Outreach and business enhancement initiatives

In his report, McGuire said that training for staff by an ultrasound technician has been accomplished, but further training has been requested, and he has been working with Dr. Neace to get a physician on board with that.

St. Mary's Medical Center has agreed for their radiologists to "read" the ultrasound studies, he said.

McGuire and Hutchens met with Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rogers with some concerns about veterans' health and the Affordable Care Act. They also talked about a pilot project for funding to facilitate payment and healthcare delivery reform.

"We presented the Washington Rural Hospital Access Preservation Project as well as our own strategic plan," McGuire said.

The Congresswoman's deputy district director is bringing the documents to her health care policy advisor in hopes of establishing and funding the WRHAPP, said McGuire.

"In an effort to improve healthcare in our community and remove obstacles to receiving care, we have partnered with Columbia County Public Transportation to cover ride fare when people need to be taken to the hospital," McGuire announced.

He said that transportation has been a hurdle for some people living in Waitsburg, and rural Columbia County.

Action items

The Commissioners adopted a new credit card policy for use by the CEO and the CFO, adopted a measure for the Secretary of the Board to sign medical staff privileges, approved the 2016 performance compensation for the CEO, adopted goals for the CEO in 2017, and approved a time-share financing option for the new CT scanner that will have structured payments over the course of five years.

McGuire told the commissioners that money from the sale of the old CT scanner can go to offset additional construction costs, and for maintenance payments for the new scanner.