Pinckneyville Hospital sees profit in March
Pinckneyville Community Hospital showed operating income of $33,283 and net income of $92,152 for March, bringing the year-to-date figure for operating income to $409,177 and net income to $980,841.
Net income includes revenue from sources other than operations.
The new fiscal year began May 1. The board will receive the April financial report at the June board meeting.
The financial committee reported that they have had one meeting about implementing point-of-service collection for non-emergency services and will continue to craft a plan on how to begin the program.
Dave Pirsein said the first step is to educate employees, the second to create a plan and the third to educate clients by providing clear information on what is expected.
Other area hospitals have already changed their collection policies.
Pirsein said PCH must keep up with the trends so as not to become the hospital where everyone goes if they don't want to pay.
CFO Kara Carson said the conversations about up-front payments are delicate. The committee will provide a summary for employees to use as a guide when opening the discussion on payment.
PCH wrote off approximately $1 million in bad debt last year. The hospital does offer payment plans and reduced costs for patients who meet the criteria for financial need.
Pirsein asked if there is any local data on how many previously uninsured patients now have insurance due to the Affordable Care Act.
Administrator Tom Hudgins said there is no local data. However, PCH does have certified personnel who help people sign up for insurance through the exchange and can recommend clients sign up for Medicaid.
"There's a 90 day grace period between signing up for insurance and payment," Hudgins said. "It is difficult to know who simply has a plan and who had paid their premium."
In other business, the board:
• heard from Dr. Gregg Fozard that Tuesday Physician's Assistant Steve Priebe plans to take the exam to become certified to conduct CDL license exams. As of May 1, all physicians who examine patients for CDL certification or re-certification must be licensed. So far, Priebe is the only eligible employee from the Family Medical Center to have completed the certification course which is required before taking the exam. Fozard said he is still working on the course. It is time-consuming. The board debated advertising once Priebe is licensed, but decided that more information is necessary first. They wanted to know how many CDL exams are conducted each year at FMC on average. Fozard said he does about 20, but cannot speak for the other providers there. He suggested not advertising or examining only established patients. The hospital could be liable if someone who is not a regular patients is certified through FMC for a CDL license then has an accident due to an undisclosed medical issue. Fozard said the potential legal risk is slim, but it is a risk.
• agreed to move forward with the creation of a Director of Marketing position.
• approved the purchase of a site license for the CPSI (electronic medical records) system to cover all of the doctors who will work in the Emergency Room. The cost for the site license is $43,825.
• heard from Hudgins that Egyptian Electric will be present at the Owner/Architect/Construction Manager meeting on May 14 to answer questions. The board had some concerns about the potential for outages at the new facility. The meeting will be at 10 a.m. at the hospital.