HomeMy WebLinkAbout580122.tiff WELD COUNTY GENERAL HOSPITAL
GREELEY° COLORADO
March 11. 1958
To Each Member
Board of Trustees
Weld County General Hospital
Greeley, Colorado
Dear Sir:
Many matters of importance have been discussed in our Board Meetings
and Committee Meetings in the last few months. I shall try to present some of
my thinking regarding these matters.
First: Our income is being cut down by the change in the care of old
age pensioners. As in-patients they present no problem, but as out-patients
the problem is grave. Blue Cross and Blue Shield will pay neither the hospital
nor the doctor for out-patient service on old age pensioners. They present their
Blue Cross cards thinking that they are covered. They have no money and we
must care for the urgent and emergent cases. In some cases, the Welfare
Department will approve out-patient services forthem but not for many. Their
county cards are no longer good for house calls or doctor's office care. This
is no reflection on the Welfare Department.
Seconds The 40 hour week has added to our payroll and the high census of
patients has, naturally, increased the expense in every department. Our accounts
payable necessarily will be higher than in the past.
Third: Our needs for additional improvements are pressing and will
deplete our available funds. The following will illustrate the amount available
for Capital Investments
580122
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rntary 31, 1958 -- Funds is
County Treasury 272,270.71
Operating Account 67, 994. 29
Refund Account 1.000. 00
Stood Donor Account 300.00
Cash on Hand 1,650.62
Petty Cash Fund 75.00 343.290,62
t.nrolving Funds that cannot be
tasidered as liquid assets:
Bank Account 150,000.00
Refund Account 1. 000.00
B1c d Donor Account 300,00
Petty Cash Fund 75.00 151, 375.00
Available Cash 191.915.62
all of this is used for needed modifications, it would leave us in a vulnerable
;;cyition. One low collection month could leave ua with insufficient funds to re-
_ _ace the cash in bank to pay our next month's blue. Ev'en if there should be ample
onies in the hands of the County Treasurer, it would do us no good until our
voucher was presented because we cannot check on that balance. This. I
:-neve, explains the need for a substantial cash balance.
I shall try and enumerate the needs for Capital Investment.
1. Committed Funds:
a. Ba:ancexequired or completing the Nurses
Residence, furnishings, well, walks and
landscaping ( approx. ) $50.000.00
b. Wards on 2nd and 3rd floors 8, 186.00
c. Furnishings for above 3,700.00
d. Conductilo in two surgeries 2.488.00
564.444.00
2. Non-Committed - but badly needed:
a. Addition to Credit & Acc't. Offices $ 25.000.00
b. Surgical Recovery Room 40.000.00
c. Television Master Antenna (est.) 7,000.00
d. Air Conditioning Patients Rooms 37,500.00
e. Conductile - Bal. of Surg. & O.B. 17, 500.00
f. Wards on South Wing 2nd & 3rd 8, 186.00
g. Furnishings for above 3,770,00
h. Research Laboratory 1,000.00
i. Fluroscopic X-ray Unit 15,000.00
$ 209,400.00
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There are several other items that will soon need attention. .3 seal coat
will be needed on the east parking lots and a complete ros-surface on the north
parking lot will soon be mandatory. No estimate hoe been made for a parking
area for the Nurses Residence. This must be considered soon.
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Another matter of deep concern to me is our mounting accounts receivable.
You will note from the monthly report that they are approximately $40, 000 more
the end of January, 1958. than they were at the end of January, 1957. This
is in spite of our ever increasing collection campaign. We have added credit
department employees until there is no longer room to place them. We need
1 1/2 people to handle the Blue Cross accounts; 2 people to handle the various
insurance accounts; 2 people to handle the regular and miscellaneous pay plans;
1 continually working on unpaid bills by phone and house calls; 1 1/2 cashiers
and 1 credit manager. We have 5 desks in the credit department. There is a
constant stream of traffic between them going to the files and back. These
files must be centrally located because each credit office employee. the
receptionists, the admitting officers and the accounting office employees must
'_rave ready accecala them at all times. This poses a real problem and wilt
get worse as our census increases.
I firmly believe that our census will continue to grow. It has been the
pattern for the last 5 1/2 years. It, therefore. is only a matter of time when
another wing will be necessary to care for the residents of this coumunity.
This will be a major undertaking. and I respectfully suggest that the Board of
Trustees contact the County Commissioners and seriously consider either a
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-bond issue or a continuing : :ill levy sufficient to construct another nursing
wing Co the present structure. Fortunately, it wiU not be necessary to change
rie ancilSeary services to any great extant, since expansion was wisely contem-
plated by the Doaard of Trustees when planning the present building.
We archarging $10.00 per day for a bed in a two-bed accommodation.
I recommend that this be increased to $12.00 per day. Even with the $2.00
additional cLary,),_ s will still be well below nearly all of the hospitals in
Colorado. I know of none with as low a room rate as ours. The cheapest 2-bed
room accommodation I know of in Denver is $14.50. They go up from there to
as high as $10.00, which is our charge for a private room. It is our duty to
keep charges as low as possible, and I think we are doing just that. Our
records are clear and many hospital people of the state cannot understand how
we maintain a coat lower than their own. I believe our functional and well
equipped building is the antiwar. My fear it that with rising costs, we will be
unable to maintain our present standard of service without a raise in rates.
Another matter to seriously consider is the rental problem of the new
- nurses residence, The rantfrom it_should be aased_toamortize the coat of
the building over a period of years. Since we have no sinking funds or
amortisation fund, some plan must be devised for funding this income. It
should not be added to the income of the hospital because it would show a false
operating picture, and since it has no bearing on patient care, it should be
kept separate. A plan should be devised whereby the rents could be placed
in a fund for future building or expansion. •
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These arc a few of the problems that we must face, and I am presenting
ray thirtsing in regard to than for your consideration.
Respectfully submitted,
H. H. Hill
Administrator
HHH:ec
cc: To County Commissioners
File[..c;i% :.a,,.No.1a
IN REGARD IO MATTERS OF IMPORTANCE
DISCUSSED IN BORD MEETINGS AND
COMMITTEE MEETINGS IN THE LAST FEW
IMONTHS, OF THE WELD COUNTY GENERAL
HOSPITAL.
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