Facility has already begun experiencing utility savings Members of the Greenwood County Hospital (GWCH) Board of Trustees met Tuesday, Oct. 22 where the final bill was presented from Trane for the completed HVAC project.
The company working in conjunction with Trane in regards to the tax incentive for the project has begun their work. Information has been requested from both Trane and GWCH so they can file for that incentive. This is anticipated to be approximately $500,000. The boiler was turned on Thursday, Oct. 17 and everything was reported as working well. Hospital CEO Sandra Dickerson shared that the facility has noticed a decrease in bills for electricity and is on target to meet the projected annual cost savings of roughly $17,000 a year in energy savings. Board members approved the final payment for the amount of $245,019.03.
Dickerson provided an update in regards to Oracle, the health records company. Oracle has finished review of the contract, which was sent back to Great Plains Health Alliance. Dickerson hoped this would be sent to GWCH for final review and signature soon. A leadership alignment meeting, for discussion of the overall project, timelines and roles, was scheduled for Nov. 11.
Dickerson shared that board funds have continued to be utilized to supplement dollars for payroll and payables obligations. This is attributed to reduced Part B payments stopping on Oct. 1 and the reimbursement rate increasing to 44%. Payments once again started coming through the week of Oct. 22. Dickerson was hopeful cash flow would return to normal levels quickly.
Dickerson revisited former discussion in regards to putting in a sidewalk at the back of the facility, from the lower parking lot to the driveway. Dickerson reminded that, when this was last discussed by board members, the project was projected to cost a few thousand dollars to complete and the board had approved this at that time. Since then, Dickerson explained the maintenance team and herself reviewed the project and chose to go with a different option as a safety measure to prevent falls. A chain-link fence was purchased and installed. The fencing runs along the top portion of the hill and then slopes down to the retaining wall by the driveway. This prevents anyone from using the hill as a means of accessing either parking lot on the level below. Now, the only way to access the driveway from the south end of either parking lot is by using the stairs.
Proposal from thirdparty administrators for the GWCH retirement plan have been reviewed. Dickerson told board members that former medical staff member Nik Ford works for Edward D. Jones and has expressed interest in handling this through his employer. Ford would then serve as the broker, with a third-party administrator handling the plan itself. The GWCH pension committee is in the process of conducting a more in-depth review of the proposals. Should they decide moving to another broker and administrator is in the best interest of the GWCH staff, a proposal will be brought to the board.
Mar k e ting and Foundation Director Shannon Sanders and Dickerson were slated to be out of the office on Oct. 28 to provide the mental health first aid adult training to staff members of Kansas Hospital Association (KHA) in Topeka. Dickerson expressed hope this would be the first of many trainings they can offer to GWCH partners and other small hospitals.
The 2025-2026 strategic plan was presented. Priorities include expanding services offered to patients, ensuring financial stability and improving patient satisfaction and service quality. Some goals within these priority headings include: decreasing bad debt writeoff and increasing selfpay collections, adding pulmonology into the Outreach Clinic and decreasing readmission rates to 5% or less.
In regular business, board education was provided by Information Systems Director Jason Clark; financials were reviewed and the medical staff report was presented. There were no appointments or reappointments. During review of financials, the statements of revenue and expenses were presented. The year-to-date (Aug. 31) net patient service revenue was reported at $14,689,373. Year-to-date non-operating revenue totaled $4,109,972. Total year-to-date operating expenses were $16,240,633. GWCH concluded the 2024 budget year with the month of September and officially began operating from the 2025 budget Oct. 1.
Consent agenda items presented for approval included: Minutes of the Sept. 26 meeting, the Sept. Treasurer’s report, Payroll/Benefits in the amount of $696,294.34 and Accounts payable in the amount of $687,070.79.
There was no old business.
The next meeting of the GWCH Board of Trustees will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
