July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
JCH hires new nurse exec (9/30/04)
Lemire hired to head hospital nursing staff
Jay County Hospital Board members learned Wednesday that a chief nurse executive for the hospital has been hired.
Judy Lemire of Roanoke was chosen to fill the position, which has been vacant since January. She is currently the director of the graduate nursing program at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne and plans to move to Portland in the near future. She will start work at JCH on Monday, Oct. 18, JCH chief executive officer Joe Johnston said.
Several board members interviewed Lemire and met with her, so the decision to hire her didn’t have to be voted on by the board, JCH chief financial officer Don Michael said this morning.
“She really wants to get back into the hospital (to work),” said Johnston.
The hospital voted on June 23 to enter into a contract with a search firm to find a new CNE. The previous chief nurse executive made about $71,000 per year. Lemire’s salary was not discussed Wednesday night.
Also Wednesday, the board voted for Johnston to begin contract negotiations with Preferred Medical Management for emergency room services. The current contract with Northern Indiana Emergency Physicians LLP ends on Friday, Dec. 3.
If the new contract is approved by board members, services would begin on Dec. 3. The company, which is owned by Dr. Stephen Myron, would provide all of the emergency room staff. The length of the contract has not been decided.
Board member Randy Heston voted against switching companies and cited personal reasons for his vote. The hospital has had problems with Preferred Medical Management in the past, he said.
NIEP began providing emergency room service to the hospital in July 2003. Before that, PMM provided the ER service for nearly 20 years.
There was great public outcry when JCH opted to contract with NIEP. Many who opposed the change said they would prefer to deal with the doctors they already knew.
In other business, JCH chief of staff Dr. Kathleen Galbraith expressed her concerns that the increasing patient compensation surcharge paid by physicians could limit patient care in the future.
At the Indiana State Medical Association meeting earlier this month, she said, many physicians were worried about the proposed 30 percent per year increase in the patient compensation fund for the next five years. In Indiana, a certain amount of money is set aside in case a doctor is sued for malpractice. Insurance companies, which handle the fund, will pay up to $250,000 per year for a malpractice claim, and the rest of the money is paid by the physician.
If the increase is approved, physicians who now pay $9,000 per year into the fund would pay $35,000 per year in five years. Family doctors who also practice obstetrics would pay $70,000 per year in five years, instead of the current $20,000.
Galbraith said many doctors would not be able to afford the increase, which could decrease the number of doctors and limit patient care. More people might have to drive farther to get the care they need. The increase could also affect how much patients pay for their care, she said.
“In two or three years, this is going to be a pretty hot issue,” said Galbraith.
Also Wednesday, the board:
•Approved the 2005 JCH budget, which begins Friday. The net income is projected at $1,280,132, which is down $125,073 from last year.
The hospital is expecting a decrease in the number of patients next year and an increase in expenses, Michael said this morning. Also, the 2004 income was higher because the $390,000 given to the hospital by the state in June was not in the budget.
•Approved the purchase of a new $16,000 voice mail system for the hospital. Michael said the current system failed last week, and Sprint officials told him many of the problems could not be fixed. The new voice mail would work with the current phone lines and would be adaptable if the hospital should get a new phone system in the future.
•Voted to enter into an agreement with Allied Infotech Corporation of Ohio to microfilm hospital medical records from 1997 to 2001 for $70,787. Also, the board approved a five-year agreement with 3M Worldwide to provide coding and encoding software for medical record reporting and billing. The cost would be $15,824 per year.
•Heard vice president of affiliated hospitals with Cardinal Health Systems Norene Pumphrey report the Blackford Community Hospital ambulance service will begin providing paramedic runs and transfers in mid-November.
•Michael report the hospital had a net income of $41,510 in August, which is down 71.3 percent from the budgeted figure of $144,560. Hospital officials said this decrease is common in the summer months.
Admissions in June totaled 79. This figure is down 19 percent from the budgeted number of 97.
•Heard director of volunteer services Betty Krieg report 82 hospital auxiliary volunteers worked 1,252 hours in August.[[In-content Ad]]
Judy Lemire of Roanoke was chosen to fill the position, which has been vacant since January. She is currently the director of the graduate nursing program at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne and plans to move to Portland in the near future. She will start work at JCH on Monday, Oct. 18, JCH chief executive officer Joe Johnston said.
Several board members interviewed Lemire and met with her, so the decision to hire her didn’t have to be voted on by the board, JCH chief financial officer Don Michael said this morning.
“She really wants to get back into the hospital (to work),” said Johnston.
The hospital voted on June 23 to enter into a contract with a search firm to find a new CNE. The previous chief nurse executive made about $71,000 per year. Lemire’s salary was not discussed Wednesday night.
Also Wednesday, the board voted for Johnston to begin contract negotiations with Preferred Medical Management for emergency room services. The current contract with Northern Indiana Emergency Physicians LLP ends on Friday, Dec. 3.
If the new contract is approved by board members, services would begin on Dec. 3. The company, which is owned by Dr. Stephen Myron, would provide all of the emergency room staff. The length of the contract has not been decided.
Board member Randy Heston voted against switching companies and cited personal reasons for his vote. The hospital has had problems with Preferred Medical Management in the past, he said.
NIEP began providing emergency room service to the hospital in July 2003. Before that, PMM provided the ER service for nearly 20 years.
There was great public outcry when JCH opted to contract with NIEP. Many who opposed the change said they would prefer to deal with the doctors they already knew.
In other business, JCH chief of staff Dr. Kathleen Galbraith expressed her concerns that the increasing patient compensation surcharge paid by physicians could limit patient care in the future.
At the Indiana State Medical Association meeting earlier this month, she said, many physicians were worried about the proposed 30 percent per year increase in the patient compensation fund for the next five years. In Indiana, a certain amount of money is set aside in case a doctor is sued for malpractice. Insurance companies, which handle the fund, will pay up to $250,000 per year for a malpractice claim, and the rest of the money is paid by the physician.
If the increase is approved, physicians who now pay $9,000 per year into the fund would pay $35,000 per year in five years. Family doctors who also practice obstetrics would pay $70,000 per year in five years, instead of the current $20,000.
Galbraith said many doctors would not be able to afford the increase, which could decrease the number of doctors and limit patient care. More people might have to drive farther to get the care they need. The increase could also affect how much patients pay for their care, she said.
“In two or three years, this is going to be a pretty hot issue,” said Galbraith.
Also Wednesday, the board:
•Approved the 2005 JCH budget, which begins Friday. The net income is projected at $1,280,132, which is down $125,073 from last year.
The hospital is expecting a decrease in the number of patients next year and an increase in expenses, Michael said this morning. Also, the 2004 income was higher because the $390,000 given to the hospital by the state in June was not in the budget.
•Approved the purchase of a new $16,000 voice mail system for the hospital. Michael said the current system failed last week, and Sprint officials told him many of the problems could not be fixed. The new voice mail would work with the current phone lines and would be adaptable if the hospital should get a new phone system in the future.
•Voted to enter into an agreement with Allied Infotech Corporation of Ohio to microfilm hospital medical records from 1997 to 2001 for $70,787. Also, the board approved a five-year agreement with 3M Worldwide to provide coding and encoding software for medical record reporting and billing. The cost would be $15,824 per year.
•Heard vice president of affiliated hospitals with Cardinal Health Systems Norene Pumphrey report the Blackford Community Hospital ambulance service will begin providing paramedic runs and transfers in mid-November.
•Michael report the hospital had a net income of $41,510 in August, which is down 71.3 percent from the budgeted figure of $144,560. Hospital officials said this decrease is common in the summer months.
Admissions in June totaled 79. This figure is down 19 percent from the budgeted number of 97.
•Heard director of volunteer services Betty Krieg report 82 hospital auxiliary volunteers worked 1,252 hours in August.[[In-content Ad]]
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