The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON—At the last CCHS regular board meeting in November, Stephanie Carpenter, RN, COO, spoke about a meeting she attended sponsored by the Aging and Long Term Care and the Alzheimer’s Association at the SonBridge Community Center in College Place.

The purpose of the meeting was to learn about a statewide movement that empowers people with memory loss, and their families, and that helps them stay connected in the community.

Carpenter said the goal is to plan for a dementia-friendly community in Columbia County.

She said that businesses can train their employees in how to help customers who might be showing signs of early dementia. Some banks in Seattle have already trained their employees in different aspects of early dementia.

There are also places in the community where people with dementia and their families can gather without fear that outward displays of inappropriate behavior will scare people away, Carpenter said.

For instance, the Woodland Park Zoo, in Seattle, has created a dementia-friendly environment. On Mondays and Wednesdays, people with dementia can attend the zoo for free, she said.

Carpenter said, “I thought possibilities for Columbia County are the bakery, restaurants, and attending the movie theater.”

Carpenter stressed the importance of having advance directives and medical and financial durable powers of attorney in place way ahead of the time when people are showing signs of impaired memory.

“It’s really getting the community to think differently about memory loss,” she said. “From what I heard there will be more meetings.”

CCHS CEO Shane McGuire said, “We can be a leader on this.”

In his report to the commissioners, McGuire said Phase 5 of the Hospital Renovation and Enhancement Project is now complete, with all spaces occupied. All of the construction money has been spent, he said.

The Hyperbaric Wound Care Suite is 60% complete. Columbia County Health System is in the process of hiring a program director for that department. Nurses have completed wound care training and certification, and Dr. Frauenpreis and Melissa Czapka have completed provider training and certification. Marketing plans and outreach to providers for referrals is ongoing, McGuire said.

Workflow changes in both clinics are underway to accommodate Patient Centered Medical Home and Accountable Care Organization efforts, he said.

“We are also working diligently to increase productivity and patient satisfaction through better management and cost coverage volume goals,” McGuire said in his report.

McGuire said the Waitsburg Clinic saw the highest numbers of patients for October, in five years. The Columbia Clinic also had a great month, with 869 patient visits.

A new clinic manager will need to be hired, because Kathy Anderson is going to be working in the wound care center and in the respiratory therapy department, which will give both departments better coverage. It will also help with better coverage in the emergency department, he said.

“It should be a smooth transition. We’re going to spend a lot of time on it.” McGuire told the commissioners.

With regard to finances, McGuire said particular attention is being paid to the number of days of cash on hand, and to accounts payable and receivable.

Controller Tom Meyers presented the commissioners with highlights of the financial picture for October:

Gross patient revenue in October exceeded budget, particularly in both clinics.

Statistical volumes for services were routine, with the clinics being very strong.

Cash collected in October was higher than normal, and some of the vendor bills were able to be paid down. Tax collections in October and November are some of the highest of the year.

Deductions were again low in October, which is due to a Medicare underpayment, and is being reflected in deductions as funds return to CCHS.

The above impacts combined to provide a booked gain of $119,000 after taxes and non-operating revenues are taken into account. Year-to-date there is a gain of $680,000, unaudited. This is still an operating income loss of $801,000.

There was a benefit from an increased effort in collections. Focus on clearing older accounts receivable through coding, re-billing, and collecting efforts is needed, Meyers said.