Campaign Phone
3077338002
I am running for reelection just finishing my first term on the board. I’ve been on the Medical staff for 44 years.
The major risk factor for rural hospitals is declining reimbursement in an aging population. In addition, cuts to Obama care severely impact the hospital. It’s important for us to be financially responsible.
All board decisions are public with the exception of those protected by state law, such as employment issues. It is important for the hospital to maintain this transparency.
Adjustments of staffing may need to be made in order to keep the hospital on a financially sound basis. We can’t continue to run a deficit and be viable in the long-term. Tough decision decisions will have to be made.
We have excellent care for a rural community. Mental health has always been a challenge, but we have recruited a new psychiatrist and have a child psychiatrist on board previously. We will continue to strive to improve our services and quality.
I have been a Trustee on the Board of St. John’s Health for the past 5 years, serving as Co-Chair of the Search Committee which hired Jeff Sollis, our CEO, and serving as Chair of the Board for 3 years. As a Trustee, I’ve also helped the CEO and leadership develop a sustainability plan for St. John’s Health. Our goal is to improve the finances while maintaining the Five-Star quality of care and service that people can depend on. With the support of our Foundation, we want to expand care, particularly in cancer and cardiopulmonary services. I would like to continue on the Board to champion these goals and help St. John’s Health achieve them.
All rural hospitals are at risk, and several Wyoming hospitals have closed their doors in the past year. All of our costs have increased, but while our population ages and the need for health care increases, the revenue has declined due in a large part to the shift from private insurers to Medicare. For every 1% increase in Medicare patients, St. John’s loses $1.9 million. Therefore, we are focused on using our resources even more efficiently and optimizing our Revenue Cycle processes. Many of our staff members have supported us in this effort and have helped identify some non-labor cost-savings ideas that are already saving the hospital quite a lot of money each year.
All of our board meetings are public, and are announced in the News and Guide well in advance. Every meeting is recorded and available on our website. The Board makes no decisions except in public meetings. In addition, all Trustees make themselves available to the public either through email or in-person meetings, as does the hospital’s leadership team. We strive to be active members of the community, so we are easily accessible and engaged.
In the past few years, we have invested in bringing new specialists to the community, and there is room for growth in some of these areas. We have new OB/GYNs, for instance, and they soon be offering a new procedure for pelvic health problems. The addition of a linear accelerator in the new cancer center means we will be able to expand our services with radiation therapy. More than half of all cancer patients need radiation therapy as part of their treatment plan, so this will mean many, many patients will no longer need to travel long distances for this care. The Foundation is raising philanthropic funds to pay for 100% of the project, which means the financial gains to the hospital will be immediately realized.
In addition to cost savings measures, St. John’s Hospital is asking the public to support a request for mill levy revenue so we can continue to offer the quality and range of services we all rely on. This is an important ballot initiative for the November 3 general election, and we’re asking every Teton County voter to give it serious consideration. Several other hospitals in Wyoming have already raised their mill levies, and given our commitment to responsible stewardship, we feel we must do the same.
I am a retired Emergency Physician with over 30 years of clinical experience. I have held major executive roles in both hospital and independent clinic settings. I have significant expertise in patient safety, rural healthcare and general healthcare administration. I am the current Chair of the St John's Board of Trustees. I have a deep understanding of the importance of taking excellent care of patients while navigating the complex local and national level realities faced by our amazing community. I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to serve and contribute for the past four years and hope to be able to continue for four more.
Escalating costs coupled with decreasing reimbursement put all rural community hospitals at risk. At SJH we must meet these challenges with fiscal wisdom while continuing to focus on our delivery of quality care. SJH will address these real issues by attending to all of the elements that impact our organization. We will improve frugality, lobby to improve governmental policy, negotiate with payers, grow our philanthropic base and collaborate with partners to efficiently meet our community's needs.
We will continue internet access to board activities, meetings and reports on our website while facilitating public access and comment opportunities. Additionally, trustees and administrators often meet personally with citizens who have concerns when such access can address a need..
By being fiscally responsible and using data from other similar organizations to seek models for improvement and growth.
By actively monitoring access, outcomes and patient experience to identify areas for improvement. I believe access to high quality care should be available to all residents of Teton County and see the goals of this question as the most important work we have to do.
