WARREN, Ark. – The Bradley County Medical Center Governing Board honored outgoing member and secretary Lathan Hairston in June’s meeting before they heard updates from CEO/CFO Leslie Huitt, CNO Jamie Wolfe, and Maintenance Director Tim Saunders.
Chairman Freddie Mobley began the meeting with a few words about Hairston and presented him with a certificate and cake for his service. Hairston had served two different tenures on the board and thanked all of the county judges, board members, and hospital administrators he’s had the chance to work with over the years.
Top photo: Lathan Hairston (left) and Freddie Mobley
Huitt then gave her update and began by stating the hospital has received both Employee Retention Credits totaling $2,485,393. She followed by recognizing the home health department for passing the Arkansas Department of Health’s Medicare survey. They passed with flying colors and even received praise from the state department on their exit interview.
Volumes are still up in most areas and Huitt touched on a couple highlights that included swing bed days being up 72% compared to the same time last year and stated the therapy services (physical, occupational, and speech) have seen significant growth. The hospital received $117,697.01 in sales tax revenue and currently has a balance of $3,864,001.
Due to the coding vender change, Huitt warned last month that the hospital would likely see decreased cash and increased accounts receivable for a short period of time and that was the case in May. She is hopeful to see a corner turned in June and the months following. Other items touched on included a Quality Improvement Assessment from Stroudwater as part of the DRCHSD Grant and the Arkansas Rural Hospital Assessment by Alvarez and Marsal. The ARHA was done to be eligible for American Rescue Plan Act funds. Huitt will have to go before the state legislature to receive funding, but a date is to be determined.
Wolfe let the board know the hospital’s first station and labor and delivery departments have been busy and they are focusing on improving educational opportunities for the labor and delivery staff. Work continues on BCMC’s implementation to its new EMR (electronic medical records) system Meditech. The board approved the Swing Bed Policy Manual and Utilization Review Policy Manual along with separate polices from home health, EHR, and pharmacy.
Saunders informed the board that the roof repairs were going very well despite some slight delays due to rain the last couple of weeks. He is hoping it will be completed by the middle of July. Plumbing repairs will start at the Brunson Medical Complex on July 17 and Kids First only has minor work that needs to be done. Saunders believes his maintenance staff can handle those repairs.
Other updates on facilities included planned meetings in July with companies to discuss plumbing in the original part of the hospital, an HVAC unit that needs to be replaced on the roof, and the air conditioning unit in the MRI room needs repairs.
The board moved to name French Wynne III the new secretary due to Hairston’s retirement from the board. The meeting ended with Medical Staff recommendations being approved.For the latest news and updates regarding BCMC please like the Bradley County Medical Center Facebook page or follow us on Instagram (BCMCWarren) or Twitter (@BCMC Warren). To keep up with the most recent news and updates for the BCMC Rural Health Clinic, please like the BCMC Rural Health Clinic page on Facebook.