l. Executive Summary
ll. Call to Order
lll.Regular and Consent Agenda
lV. Reports
V. Presentations/Discussions/Action Items– Eric Guth, CFO
There was a capital request for new water heaters. The current water heaters are original to the hospital (2003). One of the two is permanently out of service and parts are no longer available. The request was for three smaller water heaters. The cost would be 135K for the water heaters and 315K for the installation which involves rerouting of piping and ventilation. There was 500K in the capital budget for this expense. The request was for 500K to replace the system. After some discussion, the request was approved unanimously.
VI. Executive and Committee Reports
A. CEO Report (Steve Underdahl, President and CEO)
So far the financial mitigation efforts are going well. The net operating income for January is up by over 1 million dollars from last January. There was a cyber attack on a vendor partner which the hospital uses two weekends ago. This was significant and the company had to start up a new server. The services had to be shut down for a while requiring some patients to be diverted to other facilities. The issue has been resolved and did not involve the hospital’s system. The hospital’s billing vendor was also attacked which may affect some money issues. At this point there is good confidence that the hospital’s internal systems are not compromised. The hospital has expanded the Birth Center offering more services to more patients. This was featured on a local news story.
Medicare Advantage plans continue to have a bad impact on the hospital’s bottom line. There are an increasing number of patients on these plans. The hospital has begun collecting case specific data on this to try to make a case to change this problem.
The Cancer Care unit has received COC (Commission on Cancer) accreditation which is an
intensive process and a big deal. This could increase referrals to our hospital.
One of the paramedics killed in the Burnsville shooting (Adam Fenseth) was a former NH+C
employee.
There is a group working on rethinking safety and security protocols for staff and paramedics.
Staff are increasingly dealing with trauma.
There is a Capitol Hill visit scheduled in April.
Some board members recently attended a Rural Health Care Conference.
B. Financial Report (Eric Guth, CFO)
There was a 58K loss in January, but a 54K loss was budgeted. Typically the first quarter sees
losses because deductibles are reset and there are less scheduled surgeries.
There was discussion about upcoming road construction and how it will affect emergency
services and transportation to the hospital.
C. Community Relations Committee (Robert Morrison reporting)
This committee is looking at organizations in the area that could partner with the hospital–
groups already working in the area. Mental Health has been identified as a priority.
VII. Announcements
March 19th will be the State of the City address at Weitz Center.
Respectfully submitted by observer Anne Larson.
