Home
About Us
Our Leaders
Community Care
Clinic
Community News
Employment
Practitioners
Specialty Clinic
Auxiliary
EndowmentFund

Hospital Community News

Brown County Hospital – Board of Trustees Meeting
Brown County Hospital Meeting Room
Monday, January 11, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.

The Brown County Hospital Board of Trustees met on Monday, January 11, 2010.  Chairperson  Mike Kreycik called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.  Other Board members in attendance were Judy Densberger, John Gross, and Leanne Maxwell.  Absent was Marla Ritter.  Others attending were Neil Hilton – Administrator and Lisa Fischer – Recording Secretary.

CONSENT AGENDA

Consent agenda items were submitted for the Board’s review, including minutes of the previous meeting, payment of current bills, Medical Staff and QA Reports, patient census statistics, financials, as well as Department Manager, and Corporate Compliance/HIPAA reports.  Patient census and key statistical information for the 6 months of FY10 ending in December were reviewed, including a 6 month log of adjustments to patient revenue that includes payment arrangements, non-covered services, and small balance write-offs.   It was noted that trends for most patient care services have increased for the first 6 months of the fiscal year compared to prior year, including totals as follows:  146 inpatient admissions, 730 total patient days, 433 emergency room visits, and 144 surgical procedures.  It was noted that the Joint Conference meeting with the Medical Staff is scheduled for January 20^th at 8:00 a.m.  John Gross made a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented.   Judy Densberger seconded.  Roll call vote:  John Gross – Aye.  Leanne Maxwell – Aye.  Judy Densberger – Aye.   Mike Kreycik – Aye.  Motion carried.

PUBLIC INPUT

No public input offered at this point in the meeting.

OLD BUSINESS

The next steps in the proposed Strategic Planning/Balanced Scorecard development were discussed.  Neil commented that he was pleased with the timely turnaround of the backgrounding surveys, as were recently distributed to the Board Members and BCH Department Managers.  When all survey documents are back in, they will be submitted to DKG Consultants in Kearney for compilation, identification and analysis of common themes.  Dave Glover and Laura Meyers will then return for a date in late January or early February for a session of focused strategy planning.  Neil will keep the Board informed of potential dates to consider for that upcoming session.

A Trauma/EMS progress update was given by Tammy Brown.   A working session was held earlier in the day with a cross-section of hospital employees and local Brown County EMS personnel for the first interdisciplinary trauma meeting.  Future meetings will be held most likely on a quarterly basis, with Crystal Dailey continuing to organize these efforts.  Crystal plans to visit Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney on January 22 to gain further knowledge about their QA processes for trauma.  If the continued work and education continues to progress well, it would be expected that BCH may receive certified trauma designation within the next few months. 

Discussion was held regarding Medicare Advantage plans and the implications for the relatively few local citizens enrolled in such plans, as BCH has continued to maintain a position to not establish as a participating provider for such plans.   It was noted that Ainsworth Family Clinic does participate in most of these plans, so enrollees are indeed receiving primary care services under those provisions.   In view of pending changes in legislation at the federal level, it was acknowledged that the probability of these plans being phased out over the next few years is quite likely.  The philosophy of these plans is not in keeping with provisions for critical access hospitals, but certain individual plans have declared intent to comply with payment levels per documented cost reports on file with CMS.  Under this expectation, and with a philosophy of genuinely wanting local Medicare beneficiaries to be able to receive care at their local hospital, it was the consensus of the group that BCH would accommodate these occasions.  BCH will also continue to deliver facts and education for those that may have determined to participate in Advantage plans, or considering such, as the Hospital wants it to clearly be known that traditional Medicare provisions are not supported by private Advantage plans – not for the Hospital, nor for the enrollee in most cases.   

Neil informed the Board that he will be giving analysis and evaluation of a potential service change for mobile MRI services.   Our current contract with DMS comes up for renewal June 1, with a 90-day notice required to communicate intent to terminate.  Mobile MRI with Stared Medical Imaging is in the process of being considered for new service, as currently serves other Highway 20 area hospitals. 

NEW BUSINESS

Election of Officers for the upcoming year was held.     John Gross made a motion to retain the current officers on the board.  Leanne Maxwell seconded.  Roll call vote:  John Gross – Aye.  Leanne Maxwell – Aye.   Judy Densberger – Aye.   Mike Kreycik – Aye.   Motion carried.

Neil informed the board of an IT Grant opportunity we are pursuing through the Good Samaritan Health Systems Network.  We have submitted a letter of intent and final applications are due by February 1^st.  The grant is being applied for in conjunction with the other 14 CAH network hospitals and we are looking to apply for approximately $20 million of funding that would be shared between all network hospitals in the group.  It was noted that total funding for the initiative is $220 million dollars which will be made available to CAH facilities throughout the United States to use in proceeding toward electronic health records. 

EXECUTIVE SESSION

There was no need to hold an executive session at this meeting. 

There was no further business to address, and the meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Judy Densberger                       Lisa Fischer 
Secretary                                  Recording Secretary

From the PR Committee

YEAR IN REVIEW:

In February Shelly Doyle, organized bowling for Hospital Employees. A good time was had by all!

In April the Hospital raised over $300.00 from the annual Easter Bake Sale! There was a very nice variety of food items donated this year.

The Boosters held their annual Volunteer Tea for the Auxiliary Thrift Shop workers on April 23, 2009. After all had enjoyed their meal, Angie VonHeeder drove the groups of volunteers, in the limo to the Hospital for tours of the new facility!

Scholarship applications were received and voted on by Booster members. Winners were Gina Imm and Jessica Hollenbeck.

The annual Brown County Hospital Golf Tournament was a success raising over $5,000.00 for Cardiac Rehab Telemetry Equipment and for updates made to the chemo room!

In June Hospital employees participated in the Alumni parade passing out bubbles to the children, young and old.

Boosters had their Super Nacho Feed at the Court House Park in conjunction with the city’s Art in the Park Celebration, raising a total of $600.75.

Healing Garden breaking ground ceremony took place on August 25, 2009.   Donations for the Healing Garden are ongoing and can be given to Lisa Fischer in Human Resources with checks made out to Brown County Hospital, with a notation in the left hand corner. Memo: Healing Garden

In September,  Rhonda Buechle, Crystal Dailey and other volunteers  entered a float in the Brown County Labor Day Parade, held in Johnstown and received  1^st Place Honors.

October is cancer awareness month.  The Brown County Hospital sold “Bricks” to raise money to send on to the American Cancer Foundation.  Along with selling “Bricks” for the Cancer Fund, The Brown County Hospital Employees held a potluck & sold Breast cancer awareness items with proceeds going to the Susan G. Coleman Denim Day Promotion.  The Healing Garden also received $136.00 out of the money raised this month.

In October, Diette Glenn along with many other volunteers organized a cancer fund raiser.  They named this event RIDERS UNITE FOR CANCER, which was held on October 24, 2009.  This was a very successful event raising a total of $2,898.00 to be used locally.  We want to thank everyone who attended this special event and a big thank you to anyone that donated items or their time to make this such a success! We are very excited and looking forward to next year’s event!

This year’s Thanksgiving Bake Sale raised $361.56. 

Mary Bejot – NHA 2007 “Caring Kind” Recipient

Mary began her career with Brown County Hospital in the Fall of 1993 and over the course of 14 years, she has served the facility with a wonderful commitment to her work and excellence in everything she does.  Mary’s primary duties in ultrasound and respiratory therapy are always accomplished in a very consistent and caring manner, as noted by one of her colleagues - “She is always very sweet and considerate to all of her patients and co-workers”.

Mary also displays a keen sense for offering a hand and assisting in many areas of the hospital, which has called her to duties in Nuclear Medicine, Sleep Studies, overseeing our LifeLine program and a variety of other initiatives.  She willingly volunteers her time and talents for numerous hospital and community endeavors and as another co-worker notes “Mary’s Christian principles is manifest in her work attitude and we see that each and every day in her staff and patient interactions”.  For all these well grounded reasons, personally and professionally, Mary is clearly an excellent representative of BCH and very deserving of this year’s NHA “Caring Kind Award”.