Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - Phelps County Regional Medical Center - (Page 8)

Foundation Making a Case for Medicare Money With federal funding for healthcare shrinking, the state is missing out on chances to gain financial assistance. PCRMC is working to change that By Amy Wilson H ealthcare finance may not be the easiest concept to understand, but it doesn’t take much experience to realize that if almost 60 percent of a hospital’s revenue comes from the federal government, any reductions to that revenue stream will likely have an effect. When CEO John Denbo was asked how he would deliver a state of the union address regarding Phelps County Regional Medical Center (PCRMC), he noted that while the hospital is in a strong financial position, a decrease in payments from the federal government is pushing the hospital into uncharted territory. “We are really trying hard to absorb those cuts by becoming more efficient and effective while maintaining and improving the quality and safety of the care we provide, but the cuts are coming so fast,” he says. “There doesn’t seem to be an endpoint to the cuts.” The uncertainty of the depth of the cuts has forced hospital administrators to delay employee pay increases—normally given in May—until the organization’s financial situation is reevaluated in September. “We are telling our employees that for the first time in as many years as I can remember that we have to put them on notice that they may not receive a wage increase,” Denbo says. “Over the last year, we have trimmed our workforce by almost 100 FTEs [full-time employees] by people leaving and not being replaced. That is a direct negative economic impact to our community, and we will need to continuously look for ways to do more with less.” The funding issue has hit a boiling point as a result of efforts to implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Continued on Page 49 “We are really trying hard to absorb those cuts by becoming more efficient and effective while maintaining and improving the quality and safety of the care we provide.” 8 Fa l l 2 013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - Phelps County Regional Medical Center

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - Phelps County Regional Medical Center
Contents
Opening Thoughts
Up to the Challenge
The Fight of Her Life
Foundation
Step It Up
Your Mightiest Muscle
Well, Well, Well
Are You Doing More Harm Than Good?
Is Your Shut-Eye Serving You Well?
On the Cover
Anatomy of an ER Visit
Next-Gen Surgery
Attack from Within
Virtual Health
Show Me Better Health
Auxiliary
Calendar

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - Phelps County Regional Medical Center