» Hospital board honors member for service

By Geneva Miller
Staff Writer
Friday, July 03, 2009 | No comments posted. Southern Coos Hospital board members and staff took a break from regular business at the board’s meeting Thursday night to thank departing board member Stephen Lunt for his contributions. CEO Jim Wathen offered Lunt a “goodbye wave” — a small glass sculpture of a watery blue swell.

“He’s brought considerable talent and experiential background to the board,” said Wathen, who noted Lunt’s valuable input came at a critical developmental period for SCH. “A lot of that value we may not recognize for several more years.”

Board chairman David Allen described Lunt as innovative. Lunt qualified his acceptance of the parting gift and remarks, saying that leaving the board does not mean his work is finished.

“What we have been doing as a board is important, bringing new doctors in and new procedures,” said Lunt. “I still have ideas I think this hospital should know.”

The board’s newly elected secretary, Marilyn Noorda, will assume her position in July. After the meeting, she elaborated on the new procedures Lunt mentioned, which include hip, shoulder and knee surgery and replacement. She encourages Bandon residents to choose care at SCH, which she believes supports local business and ultimately provides convenience and comfort for local patients.

“Especially when you have friends come see you in this hospital, this is a comfort zone,” Noorda remarked. Meeting highlights

Wathen presented results of the SCH surgical team’s voluntary participation in a national surgical care improvement program. In compliance with state and federal regulations regarding infection and complication prevention, SCH ranked consistently higher than state and national averages.

In business discussion, Wathen reported that hospital finances remain stable and says he anticipates lower operating expenses for 2009 versus 2008. He noted that outpatient surgical procedures seem to be balancing the recent decrease in in-patient volume. Wathen also reported steady improvement in insurance collections.

Chief Financial Officer David Rollins noted that the largest percentage of the hospitals debt is represented by unpaid private bills, including co-payment and deductibles by insured patients and fees accrued by uninsured patients. According to Rollins, the hospital collects less than 50 percent of privately owed, or non-insurance payments. Rollins hopes to improve on that percentage by finding a new independent collections agency that can more efficiently pursue and collect patient fees.

The board also approved adding Umpqua Bank to the hospital’s designated repositories. SCH recently received a USDA grant, and Umpqua won the bid for highest interest on the certificate of deposit.