Training, financial issues discussed by hospital board

Nevada Daily Mail

Denise Sloniker, Moore-Few administrator, told the Nevada Regional Medical Center board of directors Moore-Few will soon have two employees certified as instructors for Certified Medication Technicians. Director of Nursing Cindy Miller, and Assistant Director of Nursing Deena McVey are scheduled to receive training in May that will allow Moore-Few to certify Medication Technicians on-site.

"The ability to certify our own med techs will be a tremendous benefit to our facilities," Sloniker, said. "We will be the only training site for this certification in Nevada."

NRMC CEO Judith Feuquay said she gave the hospital's annual report to the city council, which included information on highlights of the past year and the hospital's financial achievements as well as the results of the annual audit.

"We also provided written copies of the QHR annual progress FY 2005 report, FY 2005 hospital and nursing home audits and required financial data," Feuquay said. "The council had no questions."

Feuquay presented the board with the results of the search for a pharmacy management service. An employee is willing to go through training to take the position but it will take three years to complete.

In the meantime, NRMC needs an interim solution and Feuquay proposed a three-year contract with Comprehensive Pharmacy Services to provide it at a three-year cost of $1,460,906, which includes the salaries of the hospital's pharmacy employees.

CPS came with glowing recommendations from several health care providers who commented on their ability to solve problems and their responsiveness to a facilities needs including one from Heartland Behavioral Health Services CEO Mike Ham.

Feuquay told the board the Dermatology Clinic is operational and seeing patients in the new TeleHealth clinic. She said the hospital is exploring other specialty applications that can utilize the clinic.

Feuquay announced the addition of a new physician and the loss of an established one. Dr. Calvin Bailey, Orthopedic Spine Surgeon, will soon be seeing patients in Dr. Scott Compton's office one day a month while Dr. Brian Deem will be relocating his practice to Florida effective August 1.

NRMC CFO Cindy Buck said that the hospitals one-time discount offer was seeing results and more than $270,000 had been taken in reducing accounts receivables by more than $300,000. She said it was expected that by the time the offer expires $500,000 will have been collected.

Buck also told the board that approximately $800,000 of old accounts was written off. She stated that the department was seeking a fix for the system that would create the ability for NRMC to send statements on accounts that had been written off where the patient was making payments.

Feuquay said the hospital was working with Quality Products on ways to reduce the effort involved in shredding documents in compliance with HIPAA.

"It's a way for us to work with and support local businesses," Feuquay said.

The hospital is offering more smoking cessation classes for its employees and will soon offer the same classes to the public. Signs have been posted in all hospital facilities to help inform the public NRMC, like all area hospitals, will be a smoke-free campus starting Sept. 1.

In other business the board:

* Approved several projects with a total cost of $215,000

* Approved a lease for office space for an Audiologist in Dr. Birds former space in the Medical Arts Building.

* Heard a report on the drug-screenings, which are nearly complete and which have resulted in no fall-outs.