Newman Regional Health will start interviewing candidates for the hospital’s chief executive officer, board members learned during Wednesday’s board of trustees meeting.
Joyce Grove-Hein, interim chief executive officer, said interviews will start on Sept. 22. Candidates will come in that week for interviews with board members, staff members and members of the Emporia medical community. Candidates likely will have a full day of interviews and wrap up with dinner in the evening. Hein said the candidates, who are mainly from the Midwest, will be sent hospital information and information about Emporia prior to their interviews. Otherwise, they will be coming in “cold turkey.”
In other business, Kathy Butcher, assistant administrator for quality service for Newman Regional Health, gave a presentation on the reporting of quality data to the public. Butcher outlined several initiatives Newman is taking to improve quality at the hospital. The hospital voluntarily participates in the 100,000 Lives campaign, which was designed to reduce mortality in U.S. hospitals. The hospital also participates in the 5 million Lives Campaign, which is designed to avoid five million incidents of harm in patients over the next 24 months. Both are sponsored through a not-for-profit organization, Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
Board members also discussed the emergency room’s throughput study. Paula Taylor, assistant administrator of clinical services at Newman, gave a summary from a QHR consultant regarding the emergency room department. Among the summary items:
• Improving the restricted view of the emergency room lobby (to be addressed during remodeling)
• Collection of co-pays and fees prior to dismissal.
• Analysis of average length of stay.
• ID banding by registrar (to start in September).
• Having a designated triage nurse (initiated in July).
• The board approved several capital improvement purchases during the meeting:
• Defibrillator replacement for $35,945. The request includes upgrading some defibrillators though the manufacturer and replacing some with refurbished defibrillators.
• Micropower surgery equipment for $13,691. This was an emergency purchase for equipment used during small bone surgeries including joint replacement in fingers and toes and bunion removal. Right now, Newman has multiple physicians on staff who need to use that equipment, so an extra set was needed.
• Sterilizer upgrade for $18,000. This was an emergency purchase for an upgrade to the sterilizer in the surgical department. The upgrade is for update of the control panel on the “flash sterilizer” which is for unwrapped surgical instruments intended for immediate use.
• Semi-rigid ureteroscopes for $11,221. This request is for a high-density, fiber optic semi-rigid endoscope used in the diagnosis and treatment of the upper urinary tract, kidneys and ureters. A semi-rigid ureteroscope offers greater deflection and allows for wider access to all aspects of the upper urinary tract.
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