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PRESS
RELEASES
Contact: Jeff
Teal
Phone: 509.773.1009
Email: jteal@kvhealth.net
8/20/08:
KVH Board Meeting
The Board
of Commissioners of Klickitat Valley Health held their regular
meeting on 8/20/08. Discussion included Board membership, nursing
recruitment and retention, and the performance improvement program.
The Board accepted the resignation of Bill Martin as a Board member.
Bill notified the Board that the time expectations for Board activities
were more than he was able to continue doing. Ron Ihrig, Board
President, said " I am sorry that Bill can not continue on
the Board. We valued his contribution to the Board. The process
for appointing another Board member has been discussed and we
will be requesting applications from interested persons."
Marybeth OBrien,
Director of Nursing Services at KVH hospital, presented a nursing
recruitment and retention plan for Board approval. The plan is
titled "Home Town Nursing" and it includes components
addressing compensation and working conditions, education and
marketing, and involvement with the community. Marybeth OBrien
reported that KVH has recently hired three additional nurses from
the Goldendale community, which will reduce the reliance on temporary
or agency nurses.
This was the
first Board meeting with a public session report on the performance
improvement program. Approximately 15 minutes of every regular
Board meeting will now feature a report on some of the performance
improvement projects at KVH. There are over 50 current projects
that address improving the efficiency and effectiveness of care
or customer service. The Performance Improvement Team awards for
the first half of 2008 were awarded to Housekeeping for customer
service and to Diagnostic Imaging for efficient and effective
care.
8/05/08:
KVH Hires Interim CFO
Mark Wishard
will be starting 08/13/08 as the new Interim Chief Financial Officer
for Klickitat Valley Health. Mark has a strong background in healthcare
finance including an MBA, CFO experience in larger hospitals,
and interim experience in a Critical Access Hospital similar in
size to KVH. KVH is in the process of hiring for the regular CFO
position and Mark Wishard is expected to fill the interim position
until the regular CFO position is filled.
7/10/08:
CFO Resignation
Wade Sturgeon,
Chief Financial Officer at Klickitat Valley Health since January
2005, has resigned to pursue other opportunities. During his tenure,
Mr. Sturgeon was a driving force in the significant growth and
increased financial strength of KVH. His last day at KVH will
be Friday July 11. Efforts are underway to appoint a full time
replacement.
7/08/08:
KVH Decision: No Management Contract
On July 7,
2008 the Klickitat Valley Health Board of Commissioners voted
to proceed on its own without a management contract. The impact
of the decision is that KVH will not renew a contract with Brim
Healthcare for management services in July 2009. KVH will then
directly employ a CEO that reports solely to the Board, and additional
specialty consultation will be arranged as needed. Under the terms
of the current contract between KVH and Brim there will be an
orderly transition including a Brim interim CEO and continued
consultation with fiscal and clinical resources.
About 35 persons
watched as the Board heard additional information from Brim and
KVH staff and then discussed the advantages and disadvantages
of a continued management contract with Brim. Board President
Ron Ihrig said "This is not about whether Brim did a good
job for KVH. They did what they said they would do. This is about
whether we are ready to be on our own to keep moving ahead."
Commissioner Bill Martin said "Health care is a complicated
business in an increasingly complicated business world. A professional
management team like Brim is important for continued success."
The 3-2 split vote indicates the complexity of the issues. After
the decision was made there was a consensus agreement to place
the transition and CEO recruitment process on the agenda for the
7/16/08 regular Board meeting.
6/10/08:
Board Meeting on Brim Management Contract
The Klickitat
Valley Health Board of Commissioners held a special meeting on
6/9/08 to review issues relevant to the management contract with
Brim Healthcare. Steve Kinder, Vice President with Brim Healthcare,
made a presentation about the changes that have occurred since
the first KVH/Brim management contract was effective about 4 years
ago. An audience of about 25 persons, several KVH management staff,
and the Board then asked questions about the performance of KVH
under Brim management. Comments and questions included issues
such as services provided by Brim, alternative management contract
options, obstetric services, audit findings, and CEO selection/retention.
The Board has at least one more special meeting to review Brim
issues planned for 5 PM 6/18/08 at the Grange Hall.
5/23/08:
Pandemic Flu Disaster Exercise
Last week
there was a large scale three day disaster preparedness exercise
that involved the hospitals and public health departments of the
five Washington counties in Region 8 Public Health Emergency Preparedness
and Response Disaster. The exercise scenario involved a world
wide flu epidemic (named the Bugga Boo Flu for the exercise) with
approximately 25% of the population in Klickitat County contracting
the flu. In the exercise, about 18% of the population needed emergency
medical treatment, and about .3% needed inpatient treatment. Klickitat
County Public Health Department and Klickitat Valley Health were
involved locally. Kevin Barry, Director of Klickitat County Public
Health Department, said "The Health Department fully supports
the opportunity to collaborate with our health systems throughout
the county. Engaging in processes that ensure effective communication
strengthen our ability to provide support to Klickitat Valley
Health and our first responder agencies in the event of an emergency."
In the scenario the numbers of persons who needed medical care
greatly exceeded the normal capacity of the health care system.
The purpose of the exercise was to identify the ways that public
health and hospitals can best meet the increased demands by working
collaboratively. Examples of exercise activities included a 24/7
telephone information resource by public health, additional supplies
and staffing at the hospital, and use of cots and heated tents
at the hospital. John Rohrer, KVH CEO, said "I was really
impressed with the enthusiasm and expertise shown by staff. If
this had been the real thing KVH would be ready."
4/16/08:
KVH Board of Commissioners Meeting
This was the
first regular Board meeting since the appointment of two additional
members, which increased the membership to five persons. Business
items included approval of the transfer of a surplus ambulance
vehicle to Fire Protection District 12; a special meeting at 5:30
PM on 4/21/08 for review of Bylaws and to consider Board committee
assignments; and a 4 PM 5/19/08 special meeting to review the
management contract with Brim Healthcare. There were special reports
about changing the zoning of all KVH land to Medical Center; and
ambulance staff issues. There was one comment from the public
advocating for the audio recording of meetings. The Commissioners
commended the Home Health and Hospice programs for having zero
deficiencies in surveys from the State.
Regular reports
were presented, discussed, and approved on a number of topics:
Financial data indicates a small positive operating margin
for 2008
Two new registered nurses have been hired in the past month
Nine of the new hospital beds purchased will be replaced
under warranty
Laboratory services recently passed their State survey
Statistics for staffing changes show less turnover in the
last quarter
Remodeling projects are on target
28 procedures have been completed since the surgery department
re-opened with the new humidity control system
4/14/08:
Patient Satisfaction Ratings at Klickitat Valley Health
The Washington
State Hospital Association recently released patient satisfaction
ratings for selected hospitals in Washington and Klickitat Valley
Health data was not included. The Hospital Association ratings
are based on patient satisfaction surveys that are now sent out
to patients at most hospitals nationwide. Hospital participation
with the surveys is voluntary for Critical Access Hospitals like
KVH, and KVH chose to use the surveys starting in 2007. The ratings
that have been recently released did not include KVH because the
reporting period also included 2006 data. When patient satisfaction
ratings are released the next time KVH will be included.
KVH sends
a patient satisfaction survey to almost all inpatients and to
about 10% of all Emergency Department patients. The patient satisfaction
ratings are used to help focus improvement efforts. KVH is working
on a report about patient satisfaction and quality of care that
will be available to the public later this year.
3/24/08:
KVH Appoints New Board Members
Klickitat
Valley Health Board President Ron Ihrig announced that two persons
were selected, appointed, and sworn in as KVH Commissioners at
a special Board meeting on 3/24/08. Bill Martin and Michael Macy
were appointed by the Board to fill the vacancies created when
the number of commissioners was expanded from three to five in
the February special election. The appointments are effective
through the general election in November, 2009.
Ihrig said
I want to thank all of the applicants for their interest
in serving the community. We had 12 good people to select from
and they all had experience that could make a positive impact
on KVH. Now that we have a five person Board we will proceed with
evaluating our current status, determining the direction and focus
for changes, and deciding on the best management structure to
achieve our goals for healthcare provided by the District.
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