DAYTON—The overall financial picture for the Columbia County Health System is positive, according to Tom Dingus, with DZA and Associates, an independent auditing firm that works with the Hospital District. Dingus outlined the 2017 audit report with the CCHS Commissioners, and administrators at their regular meeting last week.

The challenge for smaller Critical Access Hospitals, like Dayton’s, is getting the cost to provide patient care to not exceed payments, and CCHS is trending in the right direction, said Dingus.

Dingus said there will be future positive impacts to the financial bott...