Members of the Texas County Memorial Hospital board of trustees heard the first move has been completed to quarters it acquired across the highway from its campus. The news came last Tuesday at its monthly meeting.
PHARMACY MOVES
CEO Wes Murray reported Hutcheson Pharmacy opened its new location Nov. 25 next to McDonald’s. It offers a drive-through for patient convenience.
“We are just a couple days in at our new location and the drive-through is already getting a lot of use,” Murray said. “We are thankful to be able to offer this benefit to our patients.”
Some renovation efforts are occurring in the areas that will be occupied by the walk-in clinic and TCMH Home Health of the Ozarks.
DOCTORS VISIT
Murray mentioned several recent site visits have occurred for physician candidates interested in joining TCMH.
Nicholas Whitenack, MD, is a general surgeon and he recently visited TCMH and spent some time exploring the area. Whitenack is completing his final year of residency at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Neb.
“Dr. Whitenack would make a wonderful addition to our medical staff,” Murray said. “We hope to hear in the next few months if we will be able to bring him on-board.”
The second site visit completed was for a full-spectrum, family medicine physician, Timothy Cox, MD, who is in his second year of residency in Wichita, Kan.
An additional site visit for a full-spectrum, family medicine physician is planned for mid-January.
“We are working very hard to find talented physicians that can provide the care that our community needs and that our medical staff fully support,” Murray said. “We will always make that our top priority.”
SURVEY CONDUCTED
Doretta Todd-Willis, TCMH chief nursing officer, reported the results and corrective action plan that followed a full Recertification Survey and Life Safety Code/Emergency Preparedness Survey by the state of Missouri that occurred Oct. 22.
Todd-Willis mentioned that TCMH submitted its Plan of Correction within just nine days of receiving it.
“We hope that our plan will be approved as written as we have addressed every deficiency that was identified and steps of have been implemented to ensure compliance is met going forward,” Todd-Willis explained.
FINANCIALS PRESENTED
Linda Pamperien, TCMH chief financial officer, presented the financial report for October.
There were revenue challenges on both the inpatient and outpatient sides.
“Overall revenues were down $355,106 in October from our budgeted expectations,” Pamperien said. “Inpatient volumes were down $260,994 and outpatient revenue was down $10,869 for the month.”
TCMH closed out October with total gross operating revenue of $6,673,090 with net revenues after reductions and contractuals being $2,740,029.
TCMH ended October with a negative bottom line of $79,784 and a negative year-to-date loss of $1,478,871.
Present at the meeting were Murray; Pamperien; Todd-Willis; Amanda Turpin, quality; Rachel Davis, public relations; Linda Milholen, MD; board members Perry, Fockler, Allan Branstetter and Janet Wiseman; guest, Janet Fraley, Missouri Medicaid expansion advocate.
Board member Jay Loveland was absent.
The next meeting of the TCMH board of trustees is noon Tuesday, Dec. 17, in the hospital board room.