CLEARFIELD – The Penn Highlands Clearfield Hospital’s board of directors held their annual meeting yesterday at the 440 W. Front St. offices and included an overview of what has been happening at the hospital during fiscal year 2015, which runs from July of 2014 through June of 2015.
President Gary Macioce noted Penn Highlands Clearfield contributes almost $105 million to the economy through employment, purchased services and supplies; pays nearly $26 million in salaries; and contributes $11 million in community benefit and investment, which includes providing medical care to those unable to pay, shortfalls in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, providing services such as free health screenings and donations to charitable organizations and community programs.
He said external factors continue to affect the hospital adversely, including poor economic growth, changes in usage and insurance company restrictions. He said that the hospital also received lower reimbursement for services from the federal government.
In FY 2015, the hospital experienced a loss of $3.7 million, a 39 percent improvement from the last fiscal year, as a result of changes made in the past two years, Macioce said.
He pointed out that eight new physicians were recruited in 2015 and two more will join the staff in 2016.
Macioce said earlier in the fiscal year, officials from Penn Highlands Healthcare and the Hospital and Healthcare Association of Pennsylvania spoke with healthcare and community leaders from Clearfield, Jefferson and Elk counties about dramatic changes in healthcare, stressing the importance of moving away from acute care to outpatient care, disease management and population health initiatives.
They also discussed negative impacts on healthcare and what Penn Highlands Healthcare has been doing to be fiscally responsible and to protect patient access and to emphasize community-based healthcare opportunities.
Macioce said that another event for Penn Highlands Clearfield was the opening of the Moshannon Valley Community Medical Building in November. It offers various services, including primary care, pediatrics, surgical, orthopedic, ophthalmology and outpatient diagnostics.
He said that seven physicians currently work out of the building. He explained that the cost of the building was $6 million and offset by two grants, one for $1.75 million from the state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program and a $1 million Highmark Community Investment Grant.
He said Penn Highlands Clearfield also received a grant from the Fraternal Order of Eagles Clearfield Aerie No. 812 for $5,000 to the Nathaniel D. Yingling M.D. Cancer Center to purchase comfort care items.
Also, Macioce said that thanks to the Penn Highlands Clearfield Hospital Auxiliary, a new Zeiss OPMI Lumera microscope was purchased to for ophthalmologists to use during eye surgeries. Currently, he said that 400 eye surgeries are performed each year at the hospital.
In April, he said that the hospital opened its Extensive Care Unit on the fourth floor for orthopedic and post-operative surgical patients, patients who need monitored intravenous medication administration, those requiring short-term uncomplicated ventilator support and pediatric patients requiring continuous cardiorespiratory monitoring.
Macioce said that In May, the hospital launched an expanded nutritional assessment service. He said that in June, a new Interventional Pain Clinic opened to care for people with acute or chronic pain.
He said that Penn Highlands Clearfield was also recognized by Highmark for providing safe and high quality care. The hospital, according to him, ranked fourth out of 93 hospitals in the network and this is the fifth consecutive year the hospital has been recognized by Highmark for its level of compliance with the quality targets related to the Quality Blue program.
He said that the hospital was also one of only three hospitals to be recognized as best practice hospitals for efforts on the reduction of patients needing to return to the emergency department within seven days of discharge as well as readmissions three and 30 days after discharge. Also, he said the physicians earned a four-star rating for quality of care.
The hospital’s performance was also recognized by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council’s Hospital Performance Report, and the hospital met expectations in the care of patients within 17 various medical categories, Macioce said.
He said that Penn Highlands Clearfield participated in the 2015 Pennsylvania Donate Life Hospital Challenge, an initiative of the Center for Organ Recovery and Education and Gift of Life Donor program.
He said that participants held activities to inspire and increase donor awareness within their hospital families between April 1 and Aug. 31. Staff also participated in numerous outreach activities including the Day of Dance, Health Expo and Hospice Chili Bowl as well as the EMS Recognition Dinner.
For 2016, Macioce said that the hospital aims to achieve financial performance targets as well as recruit physicians and mid-level providers. Also, he said plans are under way to develop an outpatient diagnostic center and walk-in clinic on the Penn Highlands Clearfield campus.