Holyoke to host ’19 trauma medicine conference with MMH backing
Melissa Memorial Hospital will be hosting a trauma medicine conference next year, Feb. 22-24, in the Phillips County Event Center, family nurse practitioner Lane Looka announced at the Sept. 25 meeting of the East Phillips County Hospital District Board.
The NECO Emergency Trauma Conference will include classes on treating burns, overdoses, strokes and other acute conditions. There will also be vendors, defensive driving classes and keynote speakers from places like AirLife and Swedish Medical Center.
Online registration is currently open through Eventbrite. Events will be geared toward medical professionals, as well as members of the general public.
“My goal from an educational perspective is to have the hospital be a go-to place for education in the eastern Colorado area,” Looka said. “Hopefully we get a good turnout, which I think we will.”
The event was the result of conversations between Looka, Holyoke EMS director Brady Ring and MMH CEO Trampas Hutches. Members of the board have stated their desire to expand educational opportunities at MMH since receiving comments from an employee satisfaction survey in July.
“A lot of people are very excited about it,” Hutches said. He added that, during a recent meeting, other local hospital CEOs expressed their enthusiasm for the event and for expanding medical education in the region.
Looka said that the event is still soliciting local sponsors and that eight vendors have already signed on.
Hutches reports on CHA meeting
Hutches also reported on the Sept. 12-13 annual meeting of the Colorado Hospital Association, which he attended with board member Steve Young.
The meeting focused on disruption within the health care industry and emerging business strategies. It also included presentations by Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center staff, who received about 200 victims in the aftermath of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting.
Many of the technologies discussed used existing products like Apple watches and Tesla cars to remotely monitor patients’ vital signs. Some self-driving cars have been modified to pull over or navigate to hospitals in the event of driver incapacitation.
Also mentioned were post offices that are converting unused space into primary care clinics. Hutches mentioned the former USPS office in Amherst as the site for a potential clinic.
The board voted to accept a $583.65 bill for expenses associated with Hutches’ and Young’s attendance at the meeting.
White, Hutches discuss 2019 financials
MMH CFO Wes White presented the preliminary budget for 2019 and reviewed the past month’s financials at the Sept. 25 meeting.
The budget anticipates $17,861,341 in total revenue, less revenue deductions, and $17,794,616 in expenses. This represents an increase of $525,254 in revenue, $484,863 in expenses and $66,725 in net income, based on amounts annualized from July 2018.
Budget meetings with managers are scheduled for later this month. The final budget will be presented at the November meeting of the hospital board.
White also reported that the unaudited August income statement showed a net income of $36,502 compared to a budgeted net income of $45,707, and the year-to-date statement showed a net income of $51,736 compared to a budgeted net income of $302,369.
Inpatient and outpatient utilization increased in August, with 42 inpatient days clocked compared to 35 in July. Emergency department visits were 108 in August compared to 90 in July.
In response to a question from board member Gary Rahe, White said he projected the hospital would break even by the end of the year.
The board budgeted $70,850 for governance costs, including auditing, training and travel for board members.
Since May, the hospital has seen $165,000 in savings through the 340B Program, which offers cheaper pharmaceuticals through drug manufacturers participating in Medicaid.
Hutches also said the clinic saw more patients in August than at any time in recent history. The number of surgeries also increased.
Hutches reported that the district received at least $544,612.86 in grant funds over the past 12 months, including grants from the Colorado Health Foundation, Delta Dental Foundation, Colorado Rural Health Center and State of Colorado. Since 2016, the hospital has received more than $1.2 million in grant funding.
Hutches expressed the intentions of management to continue its aggressive push to secure grant funding.
Other business
In other business Sept. 25, the board:
— Heard a report from Hutches on the MMH Foundation’s Sept. 15 Cajun Boil, which attracted about 160 people.
— Received forms to declare conflicts of interest, which is a requirement of membership on a special district board.
— Heard an update on the Holyoke Community Childcare Initiative, which Hutches said would meet with an architect Sept. 26 to begin the request for proposal process.
— Received an update on the agreement between MMH and other parties regarding ambulance services. It is currently Haxtun’s turn to purchase a new ambulance, and Holyoke will do the same in four years.
— Held a 50-minute executive session for the purpose of determining positions for negotiations. A motion was passed to send out RFPs for new audit firms for the 2018, 2019 and 2020 audit years.
— Accepted credentialing for five new appointments in pathology, including Catherine Pizzi, M.D., Catherine Salisbury, M.D., Craig Nerby, M.D., Harry Hammer, M.D., and Ross Barner, M.D., as well as Daniela de Vargas Boyer, D.O., in family medicine. The board also accepted the reappointment of David Reed, M.D., in family medicine.