Home Page
About NVH
Message from CEO
Babies
Patient Services
OB Online Pre-Registration
Planetree
Valley Cafe
Medical Staff
Foundation
On-Line Payments
Careers & Opportunities
Event Calendars
Patient Greetings
Contact Us
News
Health & Community Resources
Community Reports
Our Canadian Friends
Clinics & Labs
|
|
|
|
Hospital Community Update
City/County Planning Board – The Whitefish City-County Planning Board unanimously approved our following requests at their meeting February 19, 2004:
1. A request by North Valley Hospital, for a Growth Policy Amendment/Neighborhood Plan. The 45.1-acre proposed hospital site is located near the northeast corner of Highway 93 and Highway 40.
2. A request by the North Valley Hospital for approval of a zone change on the proposed hospital site near the northeast corner of Highway 93 and Highway 40.
3. A request by the North Valley Hospital for approval of Planned Unit Development (PUD) for the proposed hospital site.
This now goes before the City Council Monday, March 15th.
North Valley Hospital has a detailed display of our campus plan as well as a rendering of our new hospital. I will be working with the local media to display these items in upcoming papers. I think everyone will be impressed with our campus plan as well. If anyone would like to see this information, it is available in the administrative offices of North Valley Hospital.
Hospital Taxes Help Stabilize Medicaid Hospital Reimbursement – The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) and Montana’s hospitals have implemented a plan that will significantly narrow the gap between Medicaid payments to hospitals and the actual cost of hospital care for Medicaid beneficiaries. According to final calculations, North Valley Hospital received a check from the DPHHA in the amount of $572,181.
This plan will close the payment-to-cost gap by more than $28 million in the current fiscal year, and ensure that, overall, Medicaid payments to hospitals roughly equal costs. That’s $28 million in Medicaid costs that privately-insured Montanans won’t have to pay.
The increased Medicaid payments to hospitals were financed by a fee imposed on inpatient hospital services. Hospitals paid $7.1 million in fees to the state to attract the new funds.
The gap between Medicaid’s payments to hospitals and the actual cost of providing treatment to Medicaid beneficiaries has been growing for some time. Medicaid officials and the governor’s budget office estimated that, in the absence of this financing plan, this gap would grow to $60 million in the current two-year budget cycle.
When Medicaid doesn’t pay the full cost of hospital care for its beneficiaries, providers have to make up these unpaid Medicaid costs by raising their prices. This in turn, contributes to higher prices for private health insurance.
This cost-shifting amounts to a “hidden tax” on Montanans who are covered by private insurance. This financing plan takes a step toward eliminating this hidden tax.
Despite the infusion of funds into the Medicaid hospital payment program, hospitals still aren’t on solid financial ground. Hospitals face enormous cost pressures. Most of these costs are beyond their control and increasing at a much steeper rate than inflation. Among these is a nationwide shortage of health care professionals, which has dramatically increased staffing costs, and unexpected increases of 100 to 1000 percent in the cost of medical liability insurance coverage.
Uncompensated Care – U.S. hospitals provided $22.3 billion in uncompensated care in 2002, up from $21.5 billion in 2001, according to the latest AHA Annual Survey of Hospitals. The survey measure includes charity care and bad debt, valued at the cost to the hospital of the services provided. During FY 02, NVH provided $6,566,877 in uncompensated care. Uncompensated care for FY 03 at NVH was $7,346,179.
New Pediatrician – North Valley Hospital has assisted with the recruitment of Dr. Kristin Veneman, pediatrician, who will be joining Glacier Medical Associates July 12, 2004. Dr. Veneman is presently completing her residency at Greenville Hospital System in Greenville, South Carolina. Dr. Veneman received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Des Moines University in Des Moines, Iowa, and her Bachelor of Science from the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. Kristin was born and raised in Idaho. She has always wanted to return to the western US and establish her practice in a rural mountain community. Kristin is married and has three young boys.
Planetree – 185 hospital staff, physicians, hospital board and auxiliary members have attended a day long retreat over the last year. The retreats encourage and support the participants to know the value that we place on human interaction. Also, experiential activities were provided to increase participant’s awareness of the patient’s perspective of illness and hospitalization.
Recently, artwork from the Whitefish High School Art Department was displayed in the hospital adding to the healing environment being created.
Patients are provided CD players and headsets while in the pre-op waiting area making a potentially anxious and stressful waiting time into one more of relaxation and enjoyment.
If anyone should have questions regarding information in this article, please do not hesitate to contact me at 863-3552. We are always willing to speak at any organization.
 | |