November 13, 2023 |
Photo – Memorial Hospital of Carbon County – Bigfoot99 file photo
Memorial Hospital of Carbon County is generating fewer profits than expected, say hospital administrators.
At last week’s Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Memorial Hospital of Carbon County Chief Executive Officer Rex Walk provided his monthly update to the board. Walk said the hospital has been struggling with collecting overdue medical payments because of poorly implemented billing software.
Walk said a representative from the software developer, Oracle Cerner, visited the hospital last month. Memorial Hospital of Carbon County Interim Chief Financial Officer Wayne Colson said the visit allowed the Oracle Cerner rep to witness how much trouble the hospital was having with their software.
Walk said he is still waiting for the report from Oracle Cerner.
CFO Colson provided the board with the hospital’s financial report. Colson said in September, the hospital brought in less money than expected. The chief financial officer said he is searching for ways to lower spending.
To cut costs, CEO Walk said he has switched medical equipment suppliers. Walk said the new distributor, MedLife, will save the hospital over 6% on most purchases.
Walk said MHCC has also cut back on the number of full-time employees, from 200 to 170.
The hospital CEO said MHCC spends far too much money on outside medical vendors. Walk said he and Colson are working to determine what contracts the hospital no longer needs.
Chief Financial Officer Colson said he has seen an increase in the amount of upfront fees collected from patients. However, Colson said the hospital has been having difficulty collecting medical payments over four months old.
Commission Chairwoman Sue Jones asked if the hospital was making money by performing orthopedic surgeries in-house. CFO Colson said he is working to lower the cost of surgical supplies.
CEO Walk said the MHCC building needs repairs. Walk said the elevator in the emergency department does not work. The hospital CEO said he is negotiating with Kone Elevator to have the lift fixed within the hospital’s maintenance budget.
Next, the hospital’s foundation director provided the board with a staffing update. Stephanie Hinkle said three nurses were leaving the organization: Family Nurse Practitioner Chere Bohr, Nurse Practitioner Jennifer Wagy, and Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Peggy Lake from the Hanna Clinic. Hinkle said MHCC has two providers ready to begin soon.
Hinkle said both providers have ties to the Rawlins area.
Chief Executive Officer Walk said he will continue to provide the board with monthly updates on the hospital’s progress.
