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Updates for our Town Council Your Board of Directors • Edward Kientz, Chair • Dennis Lauterbach, Vice Chair • Dean Sandvick, Treasurer • John Summer, Secretary The Executive Committee of the Board • Deborah Bateman Penny Marin • Jeanie Hankins • Cyntha Clark • Aspasia Angelou • Sharon Lind • Brian Warnock Harry Oberg • George Valverde Current Board Members: Edward Kientz Dennis Lauterbach Dean Sandvick John Summers Senior Leadership Team Jackie Lundblad Chief Executive Officer Peter Stachowicz Chief Operating Officer Jodi Allen, RN Chief Nursing Officer Shelby Cox Chief Human Resource Officer David Woodruff Chief Financial Officer Todd Kravetz, MD, FACP Chief of Staff, Clinic Medical Director Designated as Both A “Critical Access Hospital” and Level 4 Trauma Center • We serve a large rural geography area of 3,300 sq miles. • We are a safety net hospital. • Our three Clinics in Wickenburg, Congress, and Wittmann are Rural Health Clinics because they’re located in heath professional shortage areas. The Hospital and Clinics carry federal designations. Medicare recognizes Wickenburg Community Hospital as a Critical Access Hospital. • Provides 24/7 Emergency Care • Serves as the base station for Air Evac. • Advanced Lifesaving Technologies The Hospital has been designated by the state as a Level IV Trauma Center. Comprehensive Healthcare Services Rural Healthcare Clinic – Primary Care TelePharmacy Wickenburg Campus Congress Campus QWickCare Urgent Care Clinic Surgical & Specialty Care Diagnostic Imaging Laboratory Services Inpatient Care Unit Nuclear Medicine Retail Pharmacy Infusion Center Retail Pharmacy (offers free delivery & compounding) Rural Healthcare Clinic – Primary Care WickCare Mobile Clinic Wittmann Campus Rural Healthcare Clinic – Primary Care Our History Wickenburg Community Hospital & Clinics - Established in 1926. • First owned and operated by Dr. James Copeland…located at 74 West Wickenburg Way…1926-1937. • The hospital was next owned and operated by Dr. Floyd Bralliar from 1937 to 1946. • After his airplane crash (he survived)…it looked like the hospital would close. • In 1946, three men (Mr. Stein, Mr. Paige, and Mr. Warner) raised funds through the sale of bonds to acquire the hospital for the community. • The bonds were valued at $1.00 each with a ten year pay back. • $25,000 was raised from members in the community…and the bonds were paid back in just two years. It is one of the few remaining independently owned and operated as a not-for-profit critical access hospital for The Citizens of Wickenburg. Our Promise and Commitment To the Communities We Serve We are committed to quality health and wellness services where the patient, family, and community come first. We promise to: Serve all patients Offer discounted fees for patients who qualify Accept all patients regardless of the person’s race, color, sex, national origin, disability, religion, or sexual orientation Accept contracted insurance plans, including Medicare and AHCCCS Wickenburg Community Hospital & Clinics serves a geographically dispersed population across 3,300 square miles. This service area extends from Wickenburg…south to Wittmann… and north to Congress, Yarnell, Peeples Valley, and Skull Valley… and west to Aguila, Wenden, and Salome. Recent History The Hospital entered into a management contract agreement with Banner Health in the late 1900’s. A new building was created on Wickenburg Way for visiting providers. By 2008, several of the services including surgery were moved to the Banner/Del Webb facility in Surprise. Financially, the Wickenburg facility could not sustain itself with key services removed. The Banner management made the decision to return the hospital back to the community. NOTE: Banner told the local people involved with the hospital…”Good Luck”…and said, “you probably will not last more than eighteen months.” Recent History 2010 Creation of the new Boyd Infusion Center and the new Rural Health Clinic located across from the hospital 2012 – New Clinic opened in Congress, AZ 2014 – New Surgical Center and Medical Offices planned 2016 – New Surgical Center and Medical Offices opened 2017 – Air Evac Services became based at the hospital 2018 – New Clinic in Wittmann was opened 2019 – New remodeling of the ED and Physical Therapy Dept. was completed 2022 – Our Urgent Care facility (QWick Care) was opened 2023 – We acquired the Banner Building on Wickenburg Way 2024 – The new “Mobile Clinic” was put into use 2025 – QWickCare Urgent Care moved to the Wickenburg Way Building 2025 – Expansion planning initiated for Wittmann and Congress Clinics Major Issues The New Surgery Center and Medical Offices (2016) plus the restructuring of debt required the hospital to seek help from the Department of Agriculture in the form of a loan of $16.7 million. The surgery center created significant losses as it had just two surgeons and was often used just one or two days a week. The hospital was in a loss position financially from 2017 to 2020. Then… COVID arrived in 2020… and the hospital team was decimated due to the fear of the virus. Staffing became very difficult – Nation Wide Shortage of Medical Professionals. Employees found that they could become “Travelers”…and several became contract workers. Employee cost skyrocket as the hospital was paying agencies close to three times a normal salary. Employee moral of existing staff was in a downward spiral. Burnout hit hard. Major Issues After COVID, the hospital faced additional issues: Medicare reduced the percentage of payments from thirty two percent of allowable charges…down to twenty-seven percent. Medicare does not pay for physician salary/contract costs. Insurance providers also cut their payments percentages on Medicare Supplement plans. The hospital found that several procedures that were approved by insurance carriers…were either delayed…disputed…or denied. The hospital and clinics had to write off tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid invoices. Cash became a major issue. Solutions I (along with others) was asked to join the hospital board in 2022. I knew the hospital was struggling. We lost over $3.4 million that year. NOTE: Since 1967…I have always done my life in five-year plans… in 2022, the hospital became part of my new five-year plan. We worked to solve several issues and rebuild our staff. Our phone system was a mess, and we struggled with our software that created additional billing and customer support issues. Our customer base had lost confidence in us. I was asked to be the “Chair” beginning in 2023…and the board and staff worked hard to fix issues and reduce the loss…we still lost $1.2 million in 2023. However, we could see improvements in our services and a greater commitment from our team. We still needed to do a better job to win back the lost confidence…we kept working. In 2024, we were able to help a greater number of people, and we were able to end the year with a Squarely in the Black with a Net Margin of 6 Percent!! Mission – Vision - Values Our Mission To provide quality health and wellness services where the patient, family and community come first. Our Vision We will be the world-class health and wellness leader for all communities we serve. Our Values Commitment: To fulfill the health and wellness needs of our communities. Integrity: Honesty, sincerity, and truthfulness reflected in everything we do. Empathy: We care for patients and family with sensitivity and compassion. Accountability: We make practical and prudent decisions insuring our future viability. Excellence: We measure our performance by world-class standards. Creativity: We apply our unique talents and ideas to better serve our communities. Teamwork: We foster effective partnerships and alliances. Affordability: We will offer programs and services at the most reasonable cost allowed. HOSPITAL SERVICE OFFERINGS SERVICE LINE 2022 SEP.2024 – .AUG.2025 CARDIOPULMONARY - visits 8,496 9,602 EMERGENCY SERVICES - visits 8,226 8,052 INFUSION CENTER - visits 1,104 1,457 INPATIENT SERVICES - admissions 699 715 LABORATORY SERVICES - tests 106,592 105,277 MEDICAL IMAGING - exams 22,271 24,616 PHYSICAL THERAPY - units 30,072 24,314 RETAIL PHARMACY - prescriptions 32,480 52,325 SURGICAL SERVICES - cases 780 975 SWING BEDS - days 402 630 URGENT CARE - visits 1,147 5,254 CLINIC OPERATIONS WHAT’S HAPPENING PRIMARY CARE VISITS 2022 VISITS SEP.2024 – .AUG.2025 WICKENBURG CLINIC 18,161 19,363 CONGRESS CLINIC 2,328 826 WITTMANN CLINIC 3,031 1,701 MOBILE CLINIC N/A 70 RUSTIC RANCH 242 463 SURGERY CLINICS 3,871 5,895 TOTAL VISITS 27,633 28,318 COMPREHENSIVE DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES § CT SCAN § ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY § GENERAL RADIOLOGY § INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY/PAIN MANAGEMENT § LABORATORY TESTING § 3D MAMMOGRAPHY § MRI/MRA § NUCLEAR STRESS TESTS § SLEEP STUDIES NOTE: We could do more…If we just had the necessary equipment to support both new and existing staff HOSPITAL SERVICES EXPAND SERVICES • PRIMARY CARE • MOBILE CLINIC • SURGERY • URGENT CARE TELEHEALTH PHARMACY PARTNERSHIPS HOSPITAL STRATEGIC INITIATIVES – WHAT’S NEXT? WHAT’S HAPPENING A Vision For The Future The Next 2 ½ Years We create a Women’s Health Center in our Wickenburg Way Building. With necessary diagnostic equipment. We expand our mammogram program…making sure all women can get this service…even if they cannot afford to pay. We continue the expansion of surgical services to grow with the community which may include the completion of two new operating rooms. The structure already exist. Cardiology (as an example) and other services our community needs. We build in Wittmann a new health center that includes primary care, diagnostic services, and pharmacy. We partner with West-MEC on a training facility for entry level health care workers…creating a career path for young adults – the healthcare academy We work with the Weaver Mountain community to expand healthcare services near Yarnell. We open an expanded healthcare services within the new community center in Congress. A Vision For The Future The Next 2 ½ Years We will continue to build upon our Telehealth programs We are already connected with Barrow Neurological Institute for stroke patients with a “Ghost Bed” for patients being transported. We already use Telehealth in connecting with patients and consulting with other physicians…but we can do more. We will seek opportunities to partner with other rural and regional hospitals in search of synergy and shared services that could reduce cost. We are in discussion with The Mayo Organization regarding the opportunity to join the Mayo Care Network, an affiliate program that expands access to Mayo Clinic providers and other services. We are already an affiliate with our lab, and we discuss difficult cases. Remember Our Mission and Vision Statements? Our Mission To provide quality health and wellness services where the patient, family and community come first. Our Vision We will be the world-class health and wellness leader for all communities we serve. With the help and support from our Wickenburg Residents…the communities we serve…our present and possible future partners…our donors…and our staff; we can succeed in both our Mission and Vision. Edward R. Kientz – Board Chair QUESTIONS? (And Thank You)