Members of the Texas County Memorial Hospital board of trustees took a leap into the future of the hospital last Tuesday when they approved a request by hospital administration to obtain a comprehensive site plan for the 49-year old county facility.
In 2004, the board commissioned a site study of the hospital and grounds to find the best location to place the newly constructed TCMH Medical Complex. The first site plan looked at traffic flow around the hospital and recommended building the new clinic on the south corner of the hospital’s grounds, connecting it to the TCMH Family Clinic.
With the completion of the TCMH Medical Complex, hospital officials have moved forward with other strategic plans, which include expanding the emergency department. H Design of Springfield studied the TCMH emergency department and drew up plans that would create three new patient rooms in the emergency room, as well as some additional departmental space.
The preliminary plans for the emergency department estimated an expense of almost $2 million. H Design senior architect Steve Retherford wrote hospital officials, “Due to the potential expense and location as proposed for the emergency department, we are concerned about the ‘tight’ nature of this portion of the campus and the overall impact that this project might have on the operations of the facility.”
Wes Murray, chief executive officer at TCMH, presented Retherford’s concerns to the board proposing that TCMH pursue a comprehensive master site plan that looks at all areas of the hospital from the aspects of all departments including the emergency department.
“We need to look at where TCMH will be down the road in 10 to 15 years or more,” Murray said regarding the facility needs at the hospital. “A comprehensive site plan will look at the entire hospital and the interaction between departments. Prior to developing the plan designers will meet with every department manager for input.”
Murray mentioned that other departments in addition to the emergency department also have space, upgrade and re-design needs. Departments such as medical surgical, intensive care, surgery, obstetrics, education and many others will be evaluated for future needs.
“We don’t want to just put ‘expensive patches’ on the hospital,” Murray said. “We need to meet our patients’ healthcare needs now and in the future.”
The board unanimously agreed to proceed with procuring a comprehensive hospital site plan.
“I see this plan as an important part of recruiting physicians and providing quality healthcare within the county,” said TCMH board member Omanez Fockler. “We want physicians and patients to be proud of what we have to offer. They don’t want to feel like they are stepping back in time.”
Charles Mueller, chief of staff at TCMH, likened future hospital improvements to the new medical complex where his office is now located. “Every patient that visits the new clinic says, ‘Wow,'” Mueller said. “I tell my patients that they deserve a clinic like this because TCMH patients are treated well.”
Murray will research appropriate companies to conduct the work on the site plan process. Work should begin on the plan during the month of March.
Jay Gentry, director of the TCMH Healthcare Foundation, presented a scale drawing of a donor recognition tree that the foundation board of directors has approved for purchase. The donor recognition tree is five feet tall and five feet wide. Donors of $3,000 or more will receive a leaf engraved with an inscription.
According to Gentry, the tree will be installed in the hospital’s front lobby area by the end of March. Gentry will also have a recognition area on the same wall denoting members of the TCMH Healthcare Foundation’s “Helping Hands” program, the employee donor program.
“We have 115 employees participating in the Helping Hands program,” Gentry said. “This program has been very successful for us.”
In the administrator’s report, Murray explained that the electronic medical records system is in full swing at TCMH now that the computerized physician order entry portion of the medical records has been installed. Each physician at TCMH has a unique order entry system set up to utilize when using a patient’s electronic chart.
Doretta Todd, director of nursing at TCMH, oversaw the creation of the unique computerized physician order entry system. “I am very proud of the way our physicians are using the system,” Todd stated, noting that the hospital has almost 100 percent participation by the physicians.
“It’s a system that’s easy to use,” Mueller stated, noting that TCMH staff members have been available whenever needed to work with the hospital physicians to problem solve and educate them regarding the computerized entry system.
Mueller explained that with the touch of a button “pharmacy orders go to pharmacy, nursing orders go to nursing. The system is customized to each physician,” he said. “This is something we will use, and it’s providing a better quality of care for our patients.”
“I can’t say enough about what our staff has done to work through the complete set up of electronic medical records,” Murray stated. “We’re not the typical small hospital that would bite off this type of challenge.”
Murray explained that TCMH has been asked to be model for other hospitals that want to create a customized physician order entry system with the electronic medical records program.
In other news, Murray reported that in 2006 TCMH transported only 3.9 percent of patients from the hospital’s emergency room to other facilities. “I think this shows what a great job our hospital staff does in taking care of whatever comes through the door of our emergency room,” he said.
Murray, Fockler and Mueller participated in the bi-annual meeting of the TCMH Community Medical Needs Assessment Committee. Murray presented statistics to the committee showing that although the overall patient numbers for TCMH and other hospitals in south central Missouri are down in comparison to previous years, TCMH continues to gain in the percentage of market share available in Texas County and the surrounding areas.
“The Community Medical Needs Assessment Committee is interested in moving down the path of progress,” Murray said. The committee was also supportive of a more comprehensive site plan for the hospital.
Linda Pamperien, chief financial officer, reported a positive bottom line of $64,210 for January with the same year-to-date balance.
“Keep in mind that we took a very conservative approach in budgeting our revenues for 2007,” Pamperien explained. Inpatient revenues met budgeted expectations for the month, and outpatient revenues were slightly above budgeted expectations for the month. The average daily census was 18.
Present at the meeting were Murray; Mueller; Todd; Pamperien; Gentry; Joleen Senter Durham, director of public relations; and board members Fockler, Janet Wiseman, Jane Kirkwood and Mark Forbes. Board member Larry Southern was not present.
The next meeting of the TCMH board of trustees is at noon March 27 in the downstairs meeting room of the hospital.