Staff writer
It is not often the Hospital District No. 1 of Marion County Board of Directors approve the update of a machine and save money.
They accomplished this rare feat Tuesday when the purchase of a new Siemens chemistry machine — a laboratory machine that runs tests — was approved for $85,175. St. Luke Hospital is currently paying $99,836 a year for the current Siemens machine.
The machine will be installed in two months to coincide with the current construction project.
In other business:
- Three new contracts were approved. In addition to a contract with Arthur Marshal, St. Luke is contracting CompHealth and Kansas University Contingency search agencies in the continued effort to add another physician. Both agencies will be compensated only after St. Luke interviews a prospect. CompHealth’s placement fee is $24,000 and KU charges approximately $12,000. A contract for Richard Brown was also approved. Brown is temporarily covering the physician clinic and emergency room for the hospital.
- An executive compensation policy was not approved, but compliance officer Joe Pickett was instructed to write executive compensation guidelines. “With a policy you paint yourself into a corner,” Board President Martin Tice said.
- Physician credentials were approved for Genevieve Adams for locum tenens coverage, Derek Brown for courtesy pediatric privileges, Juanita Bittle for reappointment of Allied Health privileges, and Frank Yackovich for teleradiology privileges.
- A fetal death policy was approved. Although there has not been a miscarriage or any other death at the hospital in at least five years, the board is required by the state to have a policy in place.
- Armstrong discussed possible legislative decisions that may affect the hospital. Along with seven other state agencies, Governor Sam Brownback proposed the elimination of the Kansas Health Policy Authority. The authority currently handles all Medicaid cases in the state. Those duties would be transferred to the governor’s office. In a state proposal that may benefit the hospital, Brownback offered a policy for state income tax forgiveness for professionals moving from out of state into certain rural counties. Armstrong believes Marion County will fall under the rural designation because it is considered a health professional shortage area.
- State and fire marshal representatives inspected hospital facilities three weeks and two weeks ago respectively. Armstrong said the reports from both agencies were positive, with only minor adjustments suggested. For instance, emergency lights added to the medicine room and fire drills were spread out before the marshal even left, fixing two marshal complaints.
- Chief Financial Officer Bev Reid reported that the hospital had a net income of $52,480, which was $45,551 over budget. “We were really busy on the in-patient side,” Armstrong said. “We’re doing really well.”
- The board approved changing its meeting time from 7 p.m. to 5 p.m. beginning Feb. 22.