New trustees to the Memorial Hospital and Manor foundation, as well as authority board members, were approved at the August meeting of the board held Tuesday, Aug. 20.

Marlene Free and Jenny Herring have been named as new foundation trustees. Marvalyn Carroll was named to fill the expired board position of Alesia Brinson and Dr. Charles Walker was reappointed to serve a new term.

Bert Bennett of Draffin & Tucker, LLP, CPA’s gave a fiscal year end audit report, reflecting a desired upward trend in improved operations over the last two years, with revenues exceeding expenses. This is especially true in outpatient services, where revenues have increased significantly.

CEO Billy Walker said he was very pleased with the positive report presented by Draffin & Tucker, and pleased with their comments on the financial improvement the hospital has experienced over the last two years.

A more detailed report was given as the company looked at internal controls.

The question was raised about how to address the many ongoing problems of a hospital building that is more than 50 years old. Bennett was asked whether or not it was prudent to increase the debt for new construction under current conditions. He replied that you have to be focused on what the improvements will do for you if you take on additional debt. He indicated it can take a long time for increased revenue to offset the cost, and recommended the hospital explore revenue bonds backed by the city or county if considering a new building or major updating.

Following a report from the Building and Grounds Committee, two recommended expenditures were approved.

• Approved a proposal to replace the six compressors in the HVAC System at Memorial Medical Center at a cost of $31,730. This recommendation followed concerns from staff and patients about how hot the building was. It was discovered two compressors had failed in each unit.

• Approved a $32,512 proposal from Lang Mechanical to install a flash tank and condensate return unit designed to manage high pressure steam. This should alleviate an annoying “banging” noise that is coming from the steam condensate and heard in patient rooms.

Other expenses approved were:

• A capital equipment purchase for credentialing software from Cactus Software at a five-year expense of $28,300 was approved. This is to manage the hospital’s credentialing and re-credentialing processes. This is the project being overseen by Dr. Dean Burke, who is the hospital medical director.

• Hospital CEO Billy Walker said it was time to update the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability) policies and that it needed to be done by an external consulting firm. An attorney with Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell and Berkowitz was designated to do the job at a one time cost of $12,500.

 

Financial Reports 

As there was no board meeting in July, the key indicators for both June and July were reviewed.

The hospital saw a net loss of $157,235 for the month of June, but recovered slightly with a net income of $70,346 in July. Current net income year-to-date as of July is $178,812, compared to last July’s $694,952.

Under CEO update, Walker announced two new pediatricians have joined Memorial Pediatrics. They are Matthew Buck, M.D. who has already begun his practice, and Mary Beth Smith, M.D., who will begin in September.

A Memorial Pediatric same day sick visits care unit has opened across the hall, and extended hours will be offered once Dr. Smith begins practice. Those hours will be Mon. through Fri. 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sat. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Walker said all providers are on line on electrical health records and that he anticipates the phase one meaningful use deadlines will be met by the end of the year

Walker also announced Kathy Mac Quirter has been hired to assure the updating of all data in quality and accreditation compliance.

Dr. Burke and Cynthia Vickers, director of nursing services, recently accompanied CEO Walker to a Rural Hospital Conference where they learned of the many changes in Health Care, much of it brought on by new technology, and how there is more and more emphasis being placed on quality and patient satisfaction.

It was also announced that Aug. 20 was Dr. Burke’s last day of seeing office patients.

The board went into executive session briefly, and returned to open session to vote on the credentialing appointment of Mary Beth Smith, M.D., and the reappointment of Aaron Guyer, M.D. prior to adjournment.

Photo by Carolyn Iamon

Jane Tye, an employee of the pathology department, was honored by CEO Billy Walker, on left, and Board Chair, Charles Tyson, far right, as employee of the month. She has been an employee with the hospital since 1978.