Texas County Memorial Hospital began 2018 with increased patient volumes and increased revenue, board members heard at their monthly meeting.
Inpatient and outpatient volumes were up at the hospital in January, according to the financial report from Linda Pamperien, TCMH chief financial officer. TCMH ended the month of January and year-to-date with a positive bottom line of $221,378.
Pamperien said the month’s overall revenues were up $658,863 over budgeted expectations. Inpatient volumes were up $552,864 from our budgeted expectations. Inpatient and outpatient revenues were higher than normal in January. Expenses were also up.
“Our providers and staff are staying busy both in their clinics and in the hospital,” said Wes Murray, TCMH chief executive officer. “The downstream revenue to our ancillary services is a big impactor to our positive bottom line this last month.”
Murray said providers have seen a large number of flu cases, pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses, which have all contributed to increased revenues in January.
Pamperien reported that Jose Atiles, MD, is off to a good start in his first few days at the TCMH Mountain Grove Clinic. He started Feb. 19. Pamperien said Atiles is proficient with electronic medical records and has initiated a few changes to help improve the flow of patient care in the clinic.
TELEHEALTH, GRANT
Murray said TCMH continues to make strides in using telehealth in the hospital.
“The TCMH medical staff has approved using an infectious disease physician via telehealth from CoxHealth in Springfield,” Murray said.
According to Murray, the infectious disease specialist will also assist with antimicrobial stewardship at TCMH as part of the focus with telehealth.
The Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) chronic care grant ended after three years on Jan. 31 this year. The MFH grant totaled $110,000 and specifically targeted chronically ill patients that had been inpatients at TCMH. Certain patients qualified for a home visit from a TCMH healthcare provider following the patient’s discharge from the hospital. With the follow up visits, TCMH had a goal of keeping the patient from being readmitted to the hospital within a short amount of time after discharge.
“TCMH actually spent two thousand additional dollars outside of the grant money to make sure that we were able to utilize every dollar that was given to us,” Murray said.
Murray said TCMH would like to continue the care for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure patients.
“We are searching for ways to continue the chronic care program with additional funding assistance,” Murray said.
‘ALARMING’ NUMBERS
Amanda Turpin, quality management director at TCMH, discussed the Community Investment Report that was released by the Missouri Hospital Association in January.
“There was $1.2 billion in uncompensated care statewide, and $3 million of that belonged to TCMH,” Turpin said. “The report data is based off of 2015 numbers statewide, but the numbers are still a bit alarming.”
In 2016, the uncompensated care dollars rose by another $37 million in comparison to 2015. The Missouri Medicaid expansion, if passed, was supposed to help reduce the overall statewide uncompensated care expense at Missouri hospitals. Missouri state legislature has refused to consider Medicaid expansion in the state.
“Despite the high numbers that exist statewide, it is even more astonishing to think of what they might be like if TCMH was not here to serve our rural community right here in the Ozarks,” said Omanez Fockler, board member.
TCMH continues to offer financial assistance to those who qualify for Charity Care.
Present at the meeting were Murray; Pamperien; Turpin; Doretta Todd-Willis, chief nursing officer; Dr. Jonathan Beers, chief of staff; Rachel Davis, director of public relations; and board members, Omanez Fockler, Dr. Jim Perry, OD, and Jay Loveland. Board members Janet Wiseman and Mark Hampton were not present.