Hospital board focuses on Care Center conversion

East Adams Rural Healthcare is moving forward with preparing for the potential conversion of the East Adams Care Center into a wing of the hospital and it served as the main point of conversation during the Hospital Board of Directors meeting on Aug. 22.

The conversion is expected to occur Oct. 1, following the approval of the application through CMS.

As part of the restrictions to the conversion, EACC is currently unable to admit patients, as they are not allowed to do so for 60 days leading up to the change. The facility currently only has 15 patients and Interim Director of Nursing Bruce Haase explained there are two patients expected to be discharged soon.

With the conversion, a main change is each patient will now have a private room. Haase said the room selection process is based on the patient’s needs with those requiring increased attention to be closest to the nurses station.

Another change for the facility is how it is categorized, as it will no longer be a nursing home. It will instead be considered an intermediate swing bed wing of the hospital, Haase said.

Haase clarified the transition is simply a labeling change, and there will be no change in the care patients receive.

CEO/CFO Gary Bostrom explained on of the largest benefits with the conversion would be the increased rates of reimbursement. Currently, the facility averages $400 in reimbursement per Medicare patient. After the conversion, Bostrom said they estimate they would collect an average of $10,000 for the same patient.

Currently, the EACC facility recorded a $63,000 loss for the previous month, with EARH making a $50,000 transfer to the facility in July. Bostrom said the loss is decent considering the facility only has 15 patients. Bostrom added they are currently down $180,000 from where they budgeted for the month.

For the hospital financials, the current month’s revenue is under budget $246,706.

Bostrom said the facility is feeling the effects of the remodel, which attributes for a portion of the loss.

For the month, the facility did not have any inpatients, swing bed patients or MRI patients. Bostrom added the physical therapy department also recorded a loss, but largely due to vacation time of administrators.

Bostrom reported the district has a net loss of $113,999 for the current month, and a year to date loss of $289,111. This is compared to last year’s income of $1,031,687.

Along with financial updates, Bostrom updated the Board about the current projects at the hospital. He explained the employees are currently participating in a wellness program, and Bostrom said 48 percent of the staff members are registered in the elective program.

In regards to the conversion with EACC, Bostrom said a Transition Committee has been formed to research ways to make the conversion as easy as possible. Bostrom said they are analyzing how everything is going to work between the two facilities.

Bostrom said the hospital district is also preparing for the addition of dental services being offered at the hospital. Northwest Oral Health Outreach will begin providing dental services every Wednesday at the hospital, beginning Oct. 5.

Along with seeing patients at the hospital, Bostrom said the dentist is also making trips to EACC in order to assist patients. Bostrom said the trips to EACC will be scheduled as needed.

Bostrom provided an update regarding the construction currently occurring in Phase C of the project. Despite discovering a 30 foot portion of roof with rust, Bostrom expects the project to remain on the current budget.

Bostrom also announced he signed an agreement with the Simmons College of Nursing Program to allow intern nurse practitioners. The interns will have an opportunity to job shadow the local providers to gain experience.

During the meeting, the Hospital Board of Directors also approved the new logo design for East Adams Rural Healthcare. The logo is an updated version of the previous one, making it more modern.

The next Board meeting is scheduled for Sept. 22 at 5:30 p.m. in the hospital conference room.