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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 2013)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, October 2,2013 - FIVE HEALTH DISTRICT UPDATE -Continuedfrom PAGE ONE to apply for the PCPCH certificatio n in the next few months; however, the district cannot get in on the Moda plan until next year. Also at the meeting, the board heard the district’s annual audit presentation from th e ir ac co u n ta n ts, W 1P F L 1 C PA s a n d C onsultants, represented by Jeff Johnson, certified p u b lic a c c o u n ta n t and partner, and Jared Haak, CPA and manager. WIPFL1 “unqualified opinion” on the d i s t r ic t ’s fin a n c ia l statements is good news. W1PFL1 is lo c a te d in Spokane. They did note, however, that “due to the size o f the district and its staff, individuals with access to cash receipts also have the ability to post adjustments and cash receipts to the a c c o u n tin g system and create new patients. There a re s o m e m i t i g a t i n g controls currently in place, but a d d itio n a l c o n tro ls should be put in place.” The accounting firm said that the issue was addressed and additional controls have already been put in place to rectify the situation. T h e W 1PFL1 a u d it presented good news for the district, reporting that the d i s t r ic t ’s c a sh has in creased over the past year. “The District had a profitable year that included the receip t o f M edicare and M edicaid Electronic Health Records incentive paym ents and grants for the Irrigon Medical Clinic remodel.” They also noted th a t p a tie n t a c c o u n ts receivable increased in 2013 due to an increase patient numbers and a five-percent charge increase across all departments. In addition, the district received the 2 0 1 2 r e c e iv a b l e s fo r M e d ic a id w ra p a ro u n d p a y m e n ts , w h ich w ere approxim ately $105,000 an d th e M e d ic a re c o st report settlem ent, which was around $213,000. The district showed an $895,000 profit for 2013, "partly due to Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record incentive payments, the removal o f third-party contingency amounts and an increase in property tax revenue,” com pared to a $465,000 profit for 2012, and a $179,000 profit for 2011 . “Pioneer Memorial has been doing a really good job over the last several years,” commented Johnson. The district was also commended for the number o f days o f cash on hand. In 2013, M CHD had 110 days of cash on hand, which indicates the num ber o f d ays the d is tric t co u ld operate without collecting additional cash. The district had 76 days o f cash on hand in 2012 and 59 in 2011. This number is crucial fiqr operations in the event of an economic downturn. W1PFL1 also provided an u p d a te c o n c e r n in g Medicare reimbursements. B e c a u s e M C H D is a C ritical A ccess H ospital it r e c e iv e s a g r e a t e r reimbursement ratio. One f a c to r in d e te r m in in g w h a t h o s p ita ls re c e iv e C ritical A ccess H ospital designation is the distance from the next h o sp ita l, which places MCHD in a better position than many other hospitals, especially in the event o f possible upcoming changes in CAH distance regulations. According to WIPFLI, a few key proposed Medicare ch an g es for 2014 from President Obama include: - “ c a n c e l l i n g th e B u d g et C o n tro l A ct o f 2011 ’s s e q u e s t r a t io n , which required mandatory across-the-board reduction in f e d e r a l s p e n d in g . A s r e q u i r e d by la w , P resident O bam a issued a sequestration order on March 1, 2013, which took effect on A pril 1, 2013. The c a n ce lla tio n o f the sequestration will eliminate the annual two percent cut to Medicare payments. - “ re d u c in g C A H payments from 101 percent to 100 percent of reasonable c o sts. T h is d e c re a se in payment is estimated to be a loss o f reimbursement to CAHs o f $1.43 billion. -“eliminating the CAH designation for hospitals located fewer than ten miles from the nearest hospital. This change is estim ated to eliminate $690 million reimbursement to affected C A H s. (W IP F L I re p s anticipate that the mileage amount between CAHs will be increased, perhaps even substantially.) -“ reduction in traditional M edicare bad debt reimbursement to 25 percent of amounts claimed. This decrease in payments is estimated to eliminate $36 billion in reimbursement to all hospitals.” According to WIPFLI, th e re are c u rre n tly 13 d e s ig n a t e d n e c e s s a r y providers under the CAH program in O regon and two additional CAHs that would not meet the distance requirement. W I P F L I 4 s r e im b u rs e m e n t u p d a te n o te d th a t the O reg o n Health Authority’s budget for 2 013-2015 includes f e d e r a l fu n d in g fo r coverage o f approximately 180,000 new low-income adults who will qualify for the O regon H ealth Plan under the new guidelines for Medicaid. “The 2013-15 budget ends the so-called “health care lo tte ry ” for ad u lts who are qualified for care even under current income limits. Beginning in 2014 though 2016, coverage for those new ly eligible for OHP will be funded by the federal government. “ In co m e lim its are changing and OHP will be open to adults who earn up to 138 percent o f the Federal Poverty Level. That is about $15,800 a year for a single person or $32,500 a year for a family o f four. “ New M edicaid e n ro lle e s wi ll jo in lo c a l c o o rd in a te d care organizations, which are designed to provide better care w hile holding costs down.” Some of the key health care reforms for employers include: “ g ran d fath ered h ealth p lan s, ex te n sio n o f dependent coverage, a summary o f benefits and coverage, flexible spending account cap changes, W-2 rep o rtin g , m edical loss ratio rebates and notice to employees of state health insurance exchanges.” The W IPFLI re p o rt said that for individuals and families with individual m a rk e t c o v e ra g e w ho move to the marketplaces, prem ium s u b sid ie s are expected to average $2,672 a year. They said that a Kaiser Family Foundation report noted that 48 percent o f people purchasing their own insurance will qualify for federal premium tax credits to reduce their premiums for plans purchased in the m a rk e tp la c e s, fo rm erly known as exchanges. The second lowest cost “silver plan premium,” on which the subsidies are based, w ill cost an av erage o f $8,250 per year in 2014. It is also estimated that these premiums will be reduced by an average o f $5,548 or 66 percent per family by the federal premium subsidies. W IPFLI advised that h e a lth c a re p r o v id e r s “monitor these plans, since the cost-sharing deductible and copay amounts could lead to greater amounts o f bad debt and charity for health care providers in the future.” In other business the board: -learned that the district is se a rc h in g for a new board m em ber following the resignation o f board m em ber David Burns o f Irrigon. Despite ads in the East Oregonian, the North M orrow tim es and the H eppner G azette-T im es, the district has received only one letter o f interest and that individual resides in south Morrow County. “I think w e’ve all agreed to do our best to find someone in Boardman or Irrigon,” said Board C h a ir Larry Mills. The district plans to continue the search. - l e a r n e d t h a t the d istrict’s new am bulance has arrived and is in the process o f being licensed. After licensure, it will be delivered to Irrigon to be put into service. Irrigon’s old a m b u la n c e w ill go to H ep p n e r to be used as H e p p n e r’s secondary a m b u la n c e . H e p p n e r ’s current secondary ambulance will go to lone to be used as their primary ambulance. -heard from Grigg that a Critical Access Hospital annual m eeting was held in H e p p n e r to re c e iv e feedback to “ensure that we are meeting the needs o f the c o m m u n itie s we serve.” Grigg said that two community representatives a tte n d e d and p ro v id e d positive feedback. -learned that the fall board retreat is confirmed fo r T h u rsd a y , O ct. 17, fro m 2 -9 p . m. at Al l Saints’ Episcopal Church in Heppner. Providers are invited to attend. -received the following p rofit/loss statem ent for A u g u s t : g ro s s p a tie n t revenue was $588,624, less $2,757 for bad debts and $103,008 for contractual and other adjustments, plus $ 106,839 in tax revenue and $16,237 in other operating revenue for $611,451 in total o p erating revenue; $653,819 in total operating expenses and a $7,160 non operating gain for a loss of $35,207 for the month. -received the following report for August: Pioneer Memorial Hospital had two admissions, two swing bed admissions, eight admitted for observation, one death, one admitted for hospital respite care, 466 total out patients, 76 emergency room encounters, 1,770 lab tests, 99 x-ray procedures, 22 CT scans, 17 EKG tests, two colonoscopy procedures, two endoscopy procedures, one c o lo n / e n d o s co p y procedure, 34 respiratory therapy procedures; Home Health had 58 patient visits; H ospice had one death; Pharmacy had 2,034 drug doses for $59,785 in drug revenue; Pioneer Memorial Clinic had 392 patient visits with 16 new patients, 41 seen by a nurse and seven no-shows; Irrigon Medical Clinic had 181 patient visits, 19 new patients, 49 seen by a nurse and 10 no-shows; H eppner A m bulance had 14 to ta l p a g e -o u ts and tra n s p o rts fo r $ 1 8 ,8 9 9 in re v e n u e ; B o a rd m a n Am bulance had 23 page outs with 16 transports for $21,893 in revenue; Irrigon Am bulance had 24 page outs with 13 transports for $16,709 in revenue; there were three flights. Junior cheerleading camp held As You Plan For Your Next Growing Season, Keep Us In Mind For Your Financing Needs Agricultural and Com m ercial Real Estate. Finance or refinance property, make improvements to land, buildings, and facilities. Operating Lines. When it’s time for that seed, livestock or new or used equipment purchase, we offer customized and affordable lines of credit. Ag Banking. Our Loan Officers work closely with our branch staff to ensure your operating accounts, savings accounts and online services are set-up conveniently for you. Competitive Rates, Flexible Payments, Friendly Service Participants in the recent junior cheer camp were: (Back L-R) Cheerleader Faith Jones, Cheerleader Macy Gibbs, Kylie Boor, Cheerleader Emily Cecil, Zandra Masterson, Hailey Wenberg, Brook Wilson, Katie Wilson, Bridget Wizner, Cheerleader Erica Nelson, (front L-R) Cheerleader Samm Lemmon, Keeley Nairns, Paige Bebee, Avery Lathrop, K.C. and Harley Anderson, Saige Jensen and Irelynn Rollman. -Contributedphoto T he H e p p n e r Hi g h School c h e erle a d e rs conducted a ju n io r cheer clinic for girls ages four years to fourth grade. The girls practiced the w eek o f Sept. 23-27 to prepare for their perform ance at halftime during the Heppner versus Enterprise football game. The girls danced to the music o f twist and shout and reportedly “ w ow ed” the crowd. They also p a rtn ered w i t h t he h i g h s c h o o l ch eerlead ers to perform two cheers, “Red Hot” and “Rowdy.” Heppner FBLA fundraiser is back T he H e p p n e r Hi gh show th e ir sup p o rt in a School Future B usiness number o f ways. Leaders of America (FBLA) The FBLA m em bers once again is supporting will be selling breast cancer breast cancer awareness. a w a re n e s s ite m s at the Since October is breast home volleyball game this cancer awareness month, Thursday and at the home the FBLA m em bers are football game Oct. 11. asking the com m unity to On Oct. 10, the HHS Community BANK Local Money Working For Local People 5 4 1 -2 8 9 -4 4 8 0 www communitybanknet com LENDER Lacey Cleland Commercial Loan Officer M e m b e r FDIC lcleland@communitybanknet com The girls who attended the cli nic w ere: A very L a t h r o p , Pa i g e B e b e , K ylie DeBoer. Bridgette Wi z n e r , S ag e J e n s e n , Harley and K.C. Anderson. K a t i e Wi l s o n , Ke e l e y N airn s, Brooke W ilson, Zandra Masterson, Hailey Wenberg. Ireland Kollman. FBLA is asking everyone to wear pink community-wide in support o f this cause. FBLA members will be out and about on the streets of Heppner all o f next week selling those items to those w ho w ill not be able to make it to the games. OWGL fall workshops announced Oregon Wheat Growers in conjunction with Morrow Fairgrounds in Heppner. League County President County Grain Growers on V isit w w w .o w g l.o rg Brent Martin will host the W ednesday, Nov. 6, at 4 for workshop speakers and county’s annual workshop p.m. at the Morrow County RSVP information.
