Drop in September numbers puzzles health center officials

By STEPH TAHTINEN

Mt. Pleasant News

Although September is usually a good month for Henry County Health Center, numbers were down last month according to Dave Muhs, HCHC CFO.

?Across the board we had down volumes ? inpatient, outpatient, even our specialty clinics that aren?t even our patients were down,? Muhs told the board of trustees at its Tuesday meeting.

He said the low numbers are a bit concerning, since September is usually a good month for the hospital.

?I think it?s an aberration. I hope it is,? Muhs said. ?October seems to be recovering. We?re not to budget yet, but we?re a lot closer than we were in September.?

The hospital will be taking steps to improve numbers for the future.

?We?re going to start a new productivity system through the IHA (Iowa Hospital Association) that will measure productivity in some of our departments to make sure that we?re on track and that we?re not over utilizing in some of the departments,? said Muhs.

CEO Robb Gardner noted that there would be a meeting with leadership on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the September finances and see how they can work together as a team to be more efficient in the future.

In other business, HCHC moved forward on its building project with the board of trustees completing small but necessary steps in the preparation process.

During Tuesday?s meeting, the board of trustees

Approved a finance resolution for the building project, allowing the hospital to borrow up to $15.5 million for the project. These bonds are payable solely from net revenues of the hospital.

Set a special meeting and public hearing to award project bids for the new energy center. Bids will be opened at 11 a.m. on Nov. 1, and the public hearing and meeting is set for 4 p.m. that day to award the bids.

Approved the easement for the water detention area for the new energy center. This water detention area had already approved by the Mt. Pleasant City Council.

The HCHC renovation project includes a new energy center, relocating the facility?s utilities and electrical, adding a new surgery area and enhancing the patient experience in the main outpatient area.

Also discussed during Tuesday?s meeting was the new voiceover IP phone system in the hospital.

?It?s really moving us forward in terms of technology,? said Gardner. ?I think the technology will help us to do things that we?ve wanted to do for many years.?

The new system utilizes desk phones, but also gives it many advanced capabilities, such as being able to receive Internet.

?Really what they?ve done is taken your desk phone and inject it with the capabilities of your cell phone,? said Robert Meyer, board member.

HCHC planned to go live with the new phone system at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.