Alva Review-Courier -

Marcia Cantrell, retired elementary principal at South Barber, sat at the table for the first time as a new board member at the Kiowa District Hospital Board of Directors meeting April 27. President Pat Myers called the meeting to order in the new spacious conference room inside the new therapy and wellness addition at KDH. All board members were present including: Jeff Miller, Jim Parker and Chantae Simpson.

KDH CEO/CFO Janell Goodno attended as did Operations/IT/Manor Administrator Philip Anton; Business Office Manager Tara Girty; Hospital DON Robyn Whitaker; Quality Manager/Interim Manor DON Brandy McKitrick; RHC Director Lacey Volker; Comptroller Shannon Canaday; and Friends of the Hospital and Manor Foundation President Judy Schrock.

Following executive session at the end of the meeting the board voted to extend a contract to Nurse Practitioner Dedra Rathgeber. Goodno said that Rathgeber and her husband Josh reside in Anthony, Kansas where he has a business. The nurse practitioner will begin provider orientation May 17 and then start seeing patients in the KDH Rural Health Clinic sometime mid-summer, according to Goodno.

KDH Statistics and Financial Reports for Hospital and Manor

Giving the financial and statistical information for the hospital, Goodno said March was "really slow." Goodno said in contrast April business is good. Comptroller Canaday assisted Goodno in giving the reports. Hospital admissions totaled 24. Of those, 20 days were acute and only 7 were swingbed. Outpatient visits totaled 605. Of those visits, physical therapy contributed 97 appointments. The lab had 321 visits and ran a near record-high 4,349 tests. Radiology did 55 X-rays and there were 40 ER visits.

For March, the hospital lost $146,667. Total gross patient revenue was $391,438. Total contractural adjustments were $27,292. With $14,848 revenue from the 340B discount drug program added in, total operating revenue was $433,578. Total operating expenses were $640,828 for a loss of $207,249. The addition of mainly tax revenue of $60,582 in non-operating revenue curbed the loss to $146,667. Year-to-Date, the hospital lost $299,560 at the end of March.

The manor showed a loss of $53,088 for March with a resident census of 18 and the budget set for 25 residents. Total operating revenue was $126,058. Total operating expenses were $185,240 for a loss from operations of $59,182. Goodno pointed out that the manor had "much less agency (nursing) pay" which is more expensive than the regular nursing staff pay. The addition of $6094 mainly tax revenue, total non-operating revenue curbed the loss to $53,088. Year-to-Date, the manor lost $350,243. Goodno said the manor should receive more Covid money.

The combined comparative balance sheets for the hospital and manor show net accounts receivable at $486,311.Girty reported that for March the gross accounts receivable were at $905,092, with average days in AR of 63 and total payments of $650,050. She said that's a big improvement over February.

Uncollected taxes are $245,146. The combined loss for both facilities is $50,683. Total assets for KDH at the end of March were $13,506,306.

The board approved all the financial and statistical reports. That includes the bad debt that is being turned over to collections.

Covid-19 Update and Administrator Reports

Goodno gave an update on Covid. She said the clinic was giving vaccinations the next day, and added, "Our waiting list is pretty small." With vaccinations now more readily available, Goodno said most everyone who wants to be vaccinated can. She's excited that the KDH staff is again starting to have face-to-face meetings since Covid restrictions are lessening. However, she said the staff still collaborates about Covid. The CEO said for National Hospital Week and National Nursing Home Week they have some special plans for employee appreciation.

Manor Administrator Anton said they had another case of Covid which slowed down their process of lifting restrictions to keep residents and staff safe. However by May 6 he said there would be no more restrains. "I hope it was just a bump in the road," Anton said.

In his IT report to the board, Anton told them KDH has an aging firewall in their computer system that he is upgrading.

Goodno expressed excitement as she told the board about an award KDH won. It's the 2021 Top 20 Best Practices in Patient Satisfaction and Quality designation from the National Rural Health Association. This means KDH was ranked in the Top 20 for patient satisfaction and quality among all critical access hospitals in the U.S. A separate article ran in the Newsgram last week about this award.

Daycare on Hospital Property

Because there is such a great need for daycare in the Kiowa area, the hospital board is taking action to offer one at the hospital. They passed a resolution to have a 3100 square foot building (47 X 76) constructed. They've had one quote for around $105,000. They've reached out to contractors but don't have one yet.

A home-based daycare can only keep 12 children. Goodno said the waiting list is 25, mainly for KDH employee's children. A daycare center can accommodate 30-35. The KDHE and Fire Marshall have to approve the building.

A Childcare Center Director must be hired. That person would need a degree and to be approved by KDHE.

"Our community needs all three daycares," Goodno said of the one at the Methodist Church; the one going in the new multi-purpose room at the elementary school; and the one proposed at the hospital. They'll keep pursuing information on the proposed daycare, she said.

Other KDH Business

A storage building is needed to hold capital equipment (many items purchased with Covid money). The board approved purchasing a storage building up to $10,000 with Covid money.

Hutton, who did the new addition, began a project on inpatient rooms March 24. The clinic work is finished.

Regarding K-PAC (Kansas Political Action Committee), the Kansas Hospital Association is seeking donations for its Political Action Committee. Board members and senior management are asked to consider making a contribution. The KHA-PAC works as an advocate for Kansas hospitals.

The Medical Staff minutes were approved as were the QAPI minutes for the hospital and manor and the IT Risk Report.

The board approved the following Medical Staff Appointments: Linda Sheldon, CRNFA; Rebecca Kramer, CRNA; Carrie Bloedel-Helmer, CRNA; and Melissa Stroh, PA-C.

Upcoming KDH Events

The KDH Annual Board Meeting is Tuesday, May 26, 6 p.m., at Kiowa's Community Building. The regular May board meeting follows.

Save the date of Saturday, August 14 for the Foundation's Annual Jeans and Gems Fundraiser. It will be at Kiowa's Community Building with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. The evening features a silent and live auction and an always delicious meal. The main entertainment attraction this year will be Dueling Pianos.