Discussions to begin March 11 on the timeline for new Pinckneyville hospital
Pinckneyville Community Hospital administrator Tom Hudgins will meet with Gresham Smith and Partners on March 11 to get a better idea of how long it will take the architects to update the drawings for the replacement hospital. The board approved spending $170,000 for new drawings at their meeting Monday evening.
Initially, Gresham Smith and Partners indicated it would take about 90 days to update the drawings to reflect the smaller hospital being planned now. Last year the board opted to build a 17-bed facility instead of the originally-planned 25-bed facility by removing one wing from the plans. The wing could be added in the future if the Pinckneyville Community Hospital sees a need to expand.
Once the new drawings are complete, they must be submitted to the Illinois Department of Public Health for approval. That process is expected to take 30 to 45 days.
Once IDPH approves the plans, the construction manager Robbins Morton will need six weeks to re-bid the project and get a guaranteed maximum price.
Hudgins said that if all parties involved complete their work in the time estimated, it will be the middle of September when the project can move forward. The hospital's certificate of need to build a new facility expires Oct. 1.
Hudgins said he is also checking with Medicare to determine if the paperwork filed in 2009 indicating the hospital would move is sufficient or if it needs to be re-filed.
The hospital has been working with USDA Rural Development and AgStar on financing for the project. The board will have the opportunity to meet with representatives of USDA and AgStar at a luncheon today.
All of the information requested by USDA and AgStar has been submitted at this time. More information may be needed before final approval on the project is given.
In other business, the board:
• heard that PCH finished January in the black with an operating income of $18,725 and a net income of $56,675. The year-to-date figures are $542,859 in operating income and $813,015 in net income. Net income includes revenue from sources other than operations.
• heard that Blue Cross Blue Shield has informed other critical access hospitals that they must be accredited by a body other than the Illinois Department of Public Health or be dropped from the Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance program. Pinckneyville Hospital is currently accredited only by IDPH. Hudgins will look into the cost of an additional accreditation.
• discussed employee health coverage for the coming year. There will be no premium change from 2012 to 2013. However, changes will take place in 2014. Employees who wish to participate in the hospital's health insurance plan will also have to undergo an annual health screening which will then issue each employee a composite number based on their health. The lower the composite score, the healthier the employee. Insurance coverage will be broken down into three tiers. The composite score will determine in which tier each employee belongs. Premiums will be based on the affordable premium calculation set forth in Obama's healthcare plan.