Kearny County Hospital News

BOARD MEETING MINUTES

Drs. Miller and Birky sign contracts with KCH

Dr. Drew Miller (right) with his wife Rachel and their daughter, Emma, are very excited to be coming to Lakin. They are expecting a new addition to their family in July and will join our community in October. Dr. Miller is pleased to find a community that is in need of full spectrum Family Practitioners. He and his family are also looking forward to being a part of a small community to raise their family. They have a strong Christian background and are eager to serve where they are needed. Dr. Miller will be joining the staff of KCH October 2010.

Dr. Miller, His wife Rachel and their daughter Emma
Dr. John Birky (left) with his wife Lisa and their son, Jude, are very excited to be coming to Lakin. They are embarking on a new adventure by participating in the International Family Medicine Fellowship which will first take him to West Virginia and then to Zimbabwe, Africa. Dr. Birky has had an interest in serving in developing countries as a follower of Jesus Christ.He will be joining the staff of KCH in the summer of 2011.

Budget Shortfalls Creates Reduced Payments to Kearny County Hospital

Kansas hospitals have experienced the effects of the state’s deteriorating economy since it began. The increase in the number of patients treated without any or insufficient insurance has led to alarming increases in bad debt expenses and charity care. Budget shortfalls within the State of Kansas will cause a loss of nearly $275,000 to Kearny County Hospital in 2010. Medicaid payments to providers are already significantly below the costs of providing care. In fact, outside of the provider assessment program, the Kansas Medicaid program has not provided a rate increase to hospitals and physicians for over 10 years. This budget year calls for a decrease in payments. The 2010 State of Kansas Medicaid budget calls for a 10% decrease in provider payments and Disproportionate Share Payments (DSH). This will effect not just patient payments to Kearny County Hospital from Medicaid, but also payments made by the Medicaid program for room charges for residents covered by Medicaid at the High Plains Retirement Village. Cuts to the DSH program are disappointing. These payments are received quarterly from Medicaid to provide financial support necessary to keep health care services available to the rising number of under or uninsured patients. Every provider, including Kearny County Hospital, affected by these cuts will be forced to seriously consider whether they will be able to continue to provide the same level of services that are currently being provided. To the extent possible, hospitals and nursing homes must shift these costs and losses to everyone else that gets care, resulting in higher costs, higher health premiums, and higher local taxes The contractual adjustments as a percentage of Gross Revenue for Kearny County Hospital equaled only 8.8% in 2004. That total has risen to over 23.8 % in 2009, while the County Appropriations as a percentage of Gross Revenue have fallen from 13.6% in 2004 to only 6.65% in 2009. Kearny County Hospital is projected to have nearly $4.8 million in contractual adjustments or write offs from bad debt, charity care and insurance companies including Medicare, Medicaid and Blue Cross Blue Shield in fiscal year 2010 which is approximately 30% of our Gross Revenue. As the total of adjustments continues to climb, Kearny County Hospital will have no choice but to rely on local support to continue to provide our patients with the quality health care services being given today.