HSCMH names records officer

During the Tuesday evening meeting of the Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital Board of Directors, Lacy Andreen was named the public records officer for the hospital.

Hospital CEO Margie Molitor noted the Wyoming Legislature passed a new rule on districts, and part of that is appointing a public records officer, through which all requests for public records will go.

Molitor further added they have so many days to respond to such requests; if it is a large request, they can visit with the requestor for more time. If there is a conflict, there is an ombudsman at the state level to help facilitate matters.

In other action, the board approved the operating and capital budgets for the next fiscal year. Chief Financial Officer Shelly Larson said the budget was reviewed back in May and submitted to the commissioners.

During her report, Larson noted in June the days in accounts receivable went from 62 to 66, and the hospital continues to struggle with staff and experience. Larson also said there are still a significant log of older claims, and she is gathering proposals right now for a firm to come in and handle those claims.

As for days cash on hand in June, Larson said it has dropped from 62 to 39. She explained this is largely due to a $3 million payback to Medicare. Overall they are still sitting at 100 days cash on hand for all sources, Larson said.

Also during the meeting, Chief of Staff Dr. Vernon Miller reported the new nuclear medicine unit is being used, noting that it is better and faster with clearer images. He further added the hospital is the only one at this end of the basin that has it.

Nuclear medicine is used particularly for localizing lymph nodes for things like breast cancer and melanoma, and for cardiac evaluations.

Miller also reported Dr. Dale Myers, GYN, from Cody is looking to hold office here and he’s interested work with the residents.

There are some changes to the hospital’s trauma protocol, Miller also reported, explaining there are full and partial activations where they try to have certain criteria to be able to get the people and resources needed to the hospital in a trauma event.

In a full activation, he said, everyone comes in —including surgeons, lab, x-ray and other departments — and the operating crew is called in. During partials, which include rollovers where there is potential for trauma, the operating crew is not called in but they are put on alert.

In critical care, Miller said, they have looked over the stroke protocols, and have had some mock and real strokes to test them, and the protocol is working well.

Another topic addressed is direct admissions. Miller said when patients enter the hospital they come in through direct admission — something that was once done quite a bit — through the emergency department or through the outpatient ambulatory care area and found to be sicker than originally thought. Data is being collected, Miller said, to find the best way for patients to be cared for and admitted. There isn’t any one answer, he noted, but in general the default would be the emergency room as it is the most readily accessible and has the necessary resources.

Miller said this would not result in a change in billing, but would certainly result in rapid response compared to a patient as an outpatient or in ambulatory care.

The hospital also now has a sepsis protocol, requiring everything to be done and drawn, and antibiotics started within three hours, Miller said that means lab draws and x-rays must be done relatively quickly so everything goes smoothly and rather seamless.

Miller said there are also changes coming to the dietary department, in order to make patients’ menus a highlight of their day.

Being a patient can be awful boring and a little scary, he said. Bringing them something that has choices, and allowing them to make their own choices, can be beneficial.

Molitor spoke on the at-home sleep study being provided. The studies are easy to use, she said, and some diseases can be diagnosed and treatments ordered. Others will require a full sleep study at the hospital.

Molitor also reported the hospital ended the current fiscal year with a 29 percent growth in gross revenue, far exceeding the eight percent goal. She wants to maintain that growth, and though not much growth is expected in the hospital it is hoped there will be at least 10 percent growth at Red Rock Family Practice.