Newspaper Page Text
December 5, 2012
PAGE 12A
'Reporter
Improving hospital projects only modest losses
BY RICHARD DUMAS
The Hospital Authority of
Monroe County has projected a
nearly $400,000 loss in its oper
ating budget for the 2013 fiscal
year, which began on Oct. 1.
The 2013 operating budget,
which was approved at the
Authority's October 23 meeting,
projects a loss of $395,810.
While that projected loss may
seem high, Monroe County
Hospital's finances have
improved dramatically in the
last year.
The hospital projected a loss of
543,698 for 2012 coming off of a
2011 in which the hospital post
ed a loss of over $1 million.
However, the hospital's finances
were much better than antici
pated in 2012. The hospital's
2012 loss was only $197,000,
almost $350,000 less than was
expected at the beginning of the
2012 fiscal year.
The $197,000 figure remains
unofficial, as the hospital's
auditing company, Draffin &
Tucker, LLP, has not yet com
pleted its 2012 audit. Monroe
County Hospital CEO Kay Floyd
said at Tuesday's November
Authority meeting that the
audit results could be in by
January, but that they are typi
cally not completed until
February.
September, the final month of
the 2012 fiscal year, was a slow
one for the hospital, as it posted
a $79,000 loss for the month.
However, MCH experienced a
resurgence in October, posting a
$99,000 gain, according to
Marlene McLennan, the hospi
tal's interim chief financial offi
cer.
"October was a positive month
for Monroe County Hospital,"
McLennan said at Tuesday's
meeting.
MCH's projected 2013 gross
patient service revenue is just
over $22.3 million. Projected
total deductions from revenue
are just over $13 million.
Indigent care trust funds, which
are projected at just over
$600,000 and other operating
revenue, which is projected at
just under $600,000, brings the
hospital's total operating rev
enue figure to just under $10.5
million.
The hospital's projected total
operating expenses are just
under $11.3 million. The highest
portion of the operating expens
es are salaries, which are $4.6
million.
Once the hospital's projected
$409,000 in non-operating
income is factored in, the final
total loss figure is $395,810.
The Authority also has
approved its projected capital
budget for 2013. The projected
total capital budget is over $1.3
million with $584,000 of it to be
used for capital equipment and
the other $772,000 to be used to
complete the interior of the hos
pital's new office building next
door to the main hospital.
The Authority will not hold its
regular December meeting
because it conflicts with
Christmas Day. A called meeting
will be held on Dec. 11 if neces
sary. The called meeting will be
the final authority meeting for
long-time board member Aretha
Neal who announced her retire
ment from the board in October
effective at year's end. Neal has
served on the board for more
than two decades.
Donna Hogg: Local leader in healthcare
The field of healthcare is
a nurturing, healing pro
fession. It is the nurtur
ing, intuitive qualities
that women bring to their
roles in healthcare that
make them exceptional at
what they do. We
can hardly imagine
a world where
women are not an
integral part of our
healthcare system.
The Association of
American Medical
Colleges reported
that in 2011, 47%
of medical schools
graduates were
women. According
to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics
2011, 73% of med
ical and health service
managers were women.
Donna Hogg, RHIT, CHP,
has been the Director of
Heath Information
Management at Monroe
County Hospital for the
past 30 years. She is an
active member of the
American Health
Information Management
Association and the
Georgia Health
Information Management
Association. She also
serves as the hospital’s
Privacy Officer. Donna
was asked to volunteer on
the Advisory Board at
Gordon State College as
they implement a new bac
calaureate degree program
in health services and
informatics management.
She and her husband,
Cary, are lifelong residents
Donna Hogg
of Monroe County; they
have a son, Zachary who is
a junior at Mary Persons
High School and a daugh
ter and son-in-law, Hilary
and Kyle, who attend the
University of Georgia and
live in
Athens.
Q. Why did
you choose to
work at
Monroe
County
Hospital?
A. Monroe
County
Hospital has
been a
tremendous
blessing in
my life.
Working here
has allowed me to have a
great career, right at home
in Monroe County, while
still being able to spend
quality time with my fami
ly. I have seen many
changes in healthcare over
the past 30 years, and I
have been privileged to
work with great physi
cians, nurses, managers,
and staff members. (I still
laugh when I think about
the time many years ago
when I nervously went
into the administrator’s
office, Richard vonSeeberg
who had hired me and had
encouraged me as I com
pleted my degree in
Health Information
Management, and told
him I was considering a
position at a “large” hos
pital. He was holding a
wooden ruler in his hand
while he was giving me all
of the reasons I should
stay. He actually broke the
ruler accidentally during
our conversation!) Our
community and our hospi
tal are blessed with great
people and that is the rea
son I have chosen to
remain here. You just can’t
put a price-tag on that.
Q. What is the role of
the Health Information
Management (HIM)
Department?
A. The HIM
Department provides sup
port to our clinicians by
maintaining the patients’
medical records. I am
blessed with a great staff
and we do everything in-
house: transcription and
coding, release-of-informa-
tion, and archival of our
records. I also enjoy the
opportunity to mentor
HIM students from Macon
State College. We have
been fortunate to have
these students join our
staff through the years
and I am excited to have
recently added a Medical
Coder who completed her
clinical course-work here.
Q. How is technology
changing Health
Information Management?
A. As information tech
nology slowly makes its
way into healthcare, the
traditional paper chart is
being replaced with an
electronic version that will
ultimately allow us to
share our records wherev
er the patient is receiving
care. Patients will likewise
Monroe County Hospital has
new digital mammography
Monroe County Hospital announces the
installation of a new digital mammogra
phy system that can provide a more
pleasant, soothing exam environment for
patients while helping to minimize radia
tion dose and provide physicians with
vital information. "Our upgrade to digital
mammography technology is an exciting
addition to our imaging services that will
impact quality and comfort for our
patients. We are pleased to offer this
state-of-the-art equipment for the better
health of our community," said
Kay Floyd, CEO at Monroe
County Hospital.
The MAMMOMAT®
Inspiration from Siemens
Healthcare captures breast
images with an X-ray detec
tor that converts images into
a digital picture that can be
displayed immediately on the
system's computer monitor.
Unlike film, digital mammo
grams allow physicians to manipulate
image characteristics, such as, magnifica
tion, orientation, brightness and contrast,
which improve the ability to view specific
areas of the breast. With the MAMMO
MAT Inspiration system, results are pro
duced more quickly, helping to decrease
anxiety for patients.
To help minimize the patient’s radiation
dose and exposure time during a mammo
gram, the Inspiration automatically
selects the appropriate dose for individ
ual patient’s breast characteristics. To
Megan Randall, left, and
Regilyn Johnson show
Monroe Co. Hospital’s
new mamography system.
be able to access their
records through patient
portals.
Q. What is one of the
recent challenges Health
Information Management
has faced?
A. Providers across our
nation are scurrying to
meet the standards now
required by the
Department of Health and
Human Services to become
“meaningful users of certi
fied electronic health
record (EHR) technology.”
Medicare and Medicaid
are offering incentive pay
ments for Hospitals and
Providers who are certified
as “meaningful users.”
Our health information
system vendor, CPSI, Inc.,
based in Mobile, Ala. is
currently tied for first
place in our nation with
the highest percentage of
its clients who been suc
cessful in receiving
Certification.
Q. How are you meeting
the challenge of becoming
a meaningful user?
A. We have recently
added another team mem
ber, Brian Miller from
Barnesville, as our IT
Coordinator. With his
expertise, in addition to all
of our nurses, physicians,
and staff members from
every department, we
received our Certification
this past June. This will
be an ongoing process as
we move forward in devel
oping the next stages of
our EHR. With each
phase, our goal is to focus
on improving quality of
care and patient involve
ment in their care by giv
ing them the information
they need. I have enjoyed
working with our hospital
team and being able to see
the benefits of our labor
and its impact on deliver
ing quality healthcare for
our patients.
Hearing Tests
Set For
Senior Citizens
MON, WED, & FRI
Free hearing tests will be given
at the Beltone Hearing Aid
Office in Macon on
Monday, Wednesday and Friday,
9AM-5PM. It is located at
686 First Street.
Richard Bullington our
Hearing Instrument Specialist
is on staff to help you with
your hearing healthcare needs.
Everyone who has trouble hear
ing or who has loved ones with
hearing difficulty is welcome to
take advantage of this service.
Some of the causes of hearing
loss will be explained and
recommendations will be
made. Test results will reveal if
medical treatment or hearing
aids will help.
Yearly testing is recommended,
especially for those with
hearing difficulty. Current
hearing aid users and those
who have been told previously
nothing could be done for
them should be tested to
determine if new technology
would benefit them.
Call today to schedule your appointment
478-743-1452.
help further ensure patient comfort, the
Inspiration applies compression only as
long as the patient’s breast is soft and pli
able.
“There are many benefits to digital
mammography and we knew that it was
vital to bring this additional service to
our patients and physicians. We are
pleased to offer the perfect combination of
new technology in a patient friendly envi
ronment and the high quality diagnostic
reads provided by the radiologists with
USTeleradiology,” said Megan
Randall, director of radiology
at Monroe County Hospital.
Dr. Amada Bauer, the lead
mammography radiologist for
Monroe County Hospital, a fel
lowship trained women’s
imager and a breast cancer
survivor herself, is excited
about the hospital’s commit
ment to improving patient
care through the introduction
of new technology. Dr. Francis Ferraro,
USTeleradiology’s president, agreed say
ing that, “Monroe County Hospital and
USTeleradiology will continue to work
together to deliver the best possible care
to our patients. This advancement in
technology will undoubtedly aid us in
doing so. I would like to thank the
administration and radiology director for
making this happen!”
For appointments or more information,
call the radiology department at (478)
994-2521.
Extended Care
Beyond Your
Hospital Stay
T met all of
my goals and
felt safe going
home when I
was discharged/
~Milton Lumpkin - Lizella
“The therapy was very good, the staff was real friendly, the hospital was clean, and the
food was very good. I met all of my goals and felt safe going home when I was
discharged. I would definitely come back to the Swing Bed Program and have already
recommended it to my friends.”
~Milton Lumpkin - Lizella
If you need extended care or therapy
so that you are safe to return
home from the hospital
Monroe County Hospital
has a Medicare program
to fit your individual needs
that focuses on recovery.
For More
Information Call
478-994-2521
Monroe County
Hospital
(is our uvjy of life