Hospital Board approves purchase of ultrasound machine

East Adams Rural Healthcare is expanding their services with the addition of an ultrasound machine to use within the local facility. The Hospital Board of Commissioners approved the $125,516 purchase during their regular monthly meeting on Oct. 27.

The cost of the machine includes four years warranty of maintenance contracts, a probe cleaner and a four year warranty on the entire purchase. The probe cleaner allows the technicians using the machine to ensure each probe is sterilized after use and assists with the tracking of the cleaning schedule for the equipment.

CEO/CFO Gary Bostrom explained the estimated collection of revenue within the first year of use is $805,368. The Board voted unanimously to approve the purchase of the ultrasound equipment.

Dr. Marty Sackmann said the medical staff team is excited for the addition of the equipment, as they currently have to send out for all ultrasounds. The largest send out is deep vein thrombosis, and Sackmann said being able to complete those examinations in house will be a large benefit for facility.

Sackmann updated the Board regarding the admittance of transfer patients to Spokane hospitals. Timely referrals has been challenging, and most facilities are even slower now than they were before at accepting patients.

Because of the slow admittance time, Sackmann said he and Bostrom will travel to Tri-Cities to speak to the Kadlec facility. This will, at a minimum, provide EARH with a backup option in terms of transfer patients.

Sackmann also informed the Board a new PA, Rose Jones, has been hired at EARH and will begin working at the facility Nov. 28.

She is transferring to the district with emergency room experience, and Sackmann said she will not only be an asset in the ER, but also in the Clinic.

Bostrom provided an update regarding the potential conversion of East Adams Care Center (EACC) into a wing of the hospital. The application submitted with Noridian has been accepted, and Bostrom said now CMS and the state have to approve the application before they can move forward with the conversion.

The state had intended to send representatives for a walk through during the previous week prior to the meeting, but Bostrom said an unexpected health problem delayed the visit until the following week.

After the applications are accepted by both agencies, the EACC facility will be considered a part of the hospital and will accept swing bed patients. Bostrom said there will be 20 private rooms available at the facility for long term care, and five rooms at the hospital available for swing bed patients as well.

Bostrom advised the Board the expected completion date for Phase C of the construction project is now Nov. 23. The punch list walk through is scheduled to occur on Nov. 28.

Throughout the project, there have been continuous issues with the roof leaking, and Bostrom said there are still a variety of leaks throughout the facility. Commissioner Jerry Snyder expressed his disappointment and frustration with the issue, announcing the Board should prepare to take legal action for damages if the issue is not resolved soon.

Bostrom said the roof will need to be completed to the standards of the company providing the warranty, and the contractors will need to fix the issues before the warranty will be valid.

Along with agreements with two other universities, Bostrom said he recently signed an affiliation agreement with Central Washington University for a physical therapy student to come work in the local facility.

Bostrom added he is meeting with a representative from the University of Washington to discuss signing an agreement to for the college to send residents and medical students to EARH.

Bostrom also explained Washington State University sent a photography team to EARH to take photos of the staff and the facility. The college will now use EARH in their promotional material for a rural healthcare center.

During the next few weeks, the current conference room used for meetings will transition into becoming a physical therapy room. The downstairs room initially intended for physical therapy will become the new conference room, as it provides additional space and is better suited as a conference area.

The November board meeting will be held in the downstairs conference room.

Bostrom provided a financial update for the Board, explaining contractual costs have been higher this year because of the lack of inpatient services. Due to construction, almost every individual seen this year has been through outpatient services.

Construction has also cost the District more because of the need to rent a mobile CT unit. Bostrom said it costs $20,000 for the rental.

Bruce Gardner informed the Board that November is the final month the facility can rent the unit before it is sent to a different district. Bostrom said Leone and Keeble are trying to finish the CT portion of the wing in Phase C first, so the services can be utilized within the upcoming month.

Bostrom also informed the board the district had to have the bid for remodel in the dental building redone, after they encountered issues with the framing and walls. The issues resulted in the bid being doubled to a total cost of $22,501.76.

Along with the contractors adjustment to the project, Bostrom said they also received an adjusted bid from Great Floors, as the company realized they had neglected to include labor costs in their initial proposal.

With the addition of the labor costs, the quote totaled $9,072.36.

Bostrom reported the district recorded a net loss of $31,898 for the current month, moving the year to date loss to $440,689. Last year at this time the district had recorded an income of $1,249,920.

As of October, all EACC expenses have been included in the hospital financials. Bostrom explained all the payroll and expenses are now going through the hospital.

In the month of September, EARH transferred $100,000 to EACC.

Due to the inability to admit patients during the potential conversion of EACC into a wing of the hospital, the facility only has 11 residents. Bostrom said they also encountered an issue with the state, who had been under the impression the facility had been closed.

The staff continues to work on improving the rooms within the facility during the low resident rate. Each resident has a private room, and two rooms have been completed in full to house residents.

The facility also had one NAC hire and one RN hire during the past month. The RN began orientation on Oct. 28 and will also be assisting with patients at the hospital.

Bostrom said the EACC facility recorded a loss of $143,000 in the past month. As Bostrom works to prepare the budget for the upcoming year, he said budgeting for EACC will be difficult. He is basing the estimate for the facility on 17 residents and considering that to be the average amount of patients.

The hospital board will meet at a special board meeting to review the budget on Nov. 10 at 2 p.m.

The regular board meeting for the month of November has been moved due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The meeting is scheduled for Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. in the downstairs conference room.