HomeMy WebLinkAbout20184043.tiff NCMC Board of Trustees
Regular Session Minutes
Monday, November 26, 2018
12:00 Noon
The Board of Trustees of North Colorado Medical Center met in Regular Session on Monday,
November 26, 2018, in the Richard Stenner Boardroom located at North Colorado Medical
Center. Mark Lawley, Chair, declared a quorum and called the meeting to order at 12:00 p.m.
ATTENDANCE ROSTER
NCMC Board of Trustees: Mark Lawley, Michael Simone, Kevin Mullin, Brian Underwood,
Jason Yeater and Sean Conway (Commissioner, non-voting member), with Catherine Davis
and Kay Kosmicki - Excused
Banner Health: Margo Karsten (NCMC CEO), Derek Strader (NCMC COO)
Staff:Jeff Carlson (INC. Board Exec. Dir.)
Recording Clerk: Esther Gesick (Weld County Clerk to the Board)
PUBLIC COMMENT-There was no public comment.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
It was MSC(Underwood/Simone)to approve the minutes from the October 29, 2018, Regular
Session meeting.
NCM CEO/COO REPORT
Derek Strader reported the NCMC facility received accreditation from the Joint Commission
as a Primary Stroke Center, and he is working with the divisions of Marketing and Public
Relations to promote the announcement. He stated he is trying to verify if any other facilities
are accredited in Northern Colorado. In response to Mr. Underwood, Mr. Strader explained,
historically,stroke patients were sent to Denver;however,the accredited Stroke Center takes
pride in providing exceptional ongoing patient care after the initial episode and meeting or
exceeding certain criteria. He stated they are continuing to work with the Greeley City
Manager and the Greeley Fire Department following Union negotiations that affected the
Paramedic Service agreement and the number of ambulances devoted to the Greeley area.
Mr. Strader explained Banner is also working with other districts to recreate service zones
because the Towns of Platteville and Gilcrest are standing up their own ambulance service in
2019, so Banner is redistributing dedicated services in the communities of Ault, Evans, and
LaSalle. He noted Greeley is responsible for approximately 75% of the total calls, so
ambulances often leave other posted areas to respond, when necessary. He noted they are
also renewing the agreement with Fort Lupton, and many areas are waiving the facility lease
costs. He stated they will also be vacating the County-owned facility on 11th Avenue in
January, 2019, but they need to finalize an agreement with the Town of Evans first, and then
they will work with the County Department of Buildings and Grounds for 2019 capital
2018-4043
Commuc COA- t1S
Pa e 1 of 3 November 26,2018 NCMC Board of Trustees
12/17-/lib
projects. Lastly, he continued by explaining the various property contracts and leases, as well
as the costs associated with operating an ambulance program. He also explained the benefit
of the hospital managing an ambulance service, so they are not at the discretion of a
competing or private ambulance service. Commissioner Conway commented the 2012
decision was mutually beneficial;the employees were retained during the transfer,the entire
County continues to be served, and quality care was retained and enhanced. Mr. Strader
stated the community-based service is desirable and they have been approached by the
Poudre Fire Protection District to consider participating in the upcoming Request for
Proposals (RFP), which is under review. Mr. Lawley, retired Fire Chief, commented the dual-
role model is challenging because it is difficult for fire district staff to retain their fire-focused
skills, it can become political and it often results in the request for more staff, which results
in higher costs to the citizens.
Following the visitation report, Ms. Karsten spoke concerning the dynamic of payors, such as
Keiser and Anthem/Blue Cross, are resulting in the push to move patients off-site, but they
intend to backfill with the MD Anderson Cancer Center patients.
COMMISSIONER'S REPORT
Commissioner Conway reported the 2019 Final Budget will be presented for adoption on
December 12, 2018. The County is facing challenges due to a growing population with citizens
who are requiring increased services. As a result, the Board approved numerous mid-year
positions to start onboarding new staff to assist with increased workloads. He commented
the State demographer has reported Weld County to be one of the fastest growing in the
state, specifically in proximity to Lochbuie and Windsor. He stated there is a Five-Year Capital
Plan, but there are uncertainties considering future legislation, outcomes of initiating a
Southwest Weld booking station, economic factors, and future major transportation projects.
Commissioner Conway also discussed the completed Highway 34 PEL (Planning and
Environmental Linkages) Study and noted the Mayor of Greeley intends to allocate funds for
improvements to 47th and 35th Avenues. He stated future growth will also dictate future
capital improvements planned by the County and ongoing investment in technological
advancements. Mr. Yeater shared the advantages his company has observed through use of
the new Clerk and Recorder kiosks and scheduling queue for managing their fleet licenses.
VISITATION REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 26, 2018
BANNER MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER AT NCMC — DR. JEFFREY ALBERT AND JULIANNE
FRITZ: Margo Karsten introduced Dr. Jeffrey Albert and Ms. Julianne Fritz who provided an
overview of the new MD Anderson Cancer Center. Following the meeting, Jason Yeater
submitted a summary of the presentation and related discussion, a written copy of which is
attached as a part of these minutes. Mark Lawley prepared a note of thanks.
VISITATION REPORT FOR DECEMBER 10, 2018
Catherine Davis and Michael Simone
Page 2 of 3 November 26,2018 NCMC Board of Trustees
NCMC, INC. REPORT
Jeff Carlson reported there was no board meeting or finance meeting this month. He stated
the recent instability of the stock market has had a significant effect on the hospital bonds,
which he is monitoring. In response to Mr. Underwood, he explained the capital expenditures
because of growth and the changes in the Oncology Department typically follow the contract.
NEW BUSINESS—None.
ADJOURN
There being no further business to come before the Board, it was MSC [Simone/Underwood]
to adjourn the meeting at 1:19 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Esther Gesick
Page 3 of 3 November 26,2018 NCMC Board of Trustees
NCMC Board of Trustees Report
Jason Yeater
November 2018
DEPARTMENT CONTACT:
Dr. Albert—radiation oncologist/physician administrative role—trained with MD Anderson for 5 years
DEPARTMENT HISTORY:
MD Anderson and Banner have had a relationship,since 2011,when they opened up a joint venture
cancer program called the Phoenix Cancer Center;this worked out very well with both organizations
focusing on quality. Roughly five years ago MD Anderson reached out about the possibility of a
partnership between the Northern Colorado Banner(Greeley and Loveland locations).The invitation
would turn into 4 years of meetings, software changes, as well as countless procedural changes. All the
initial work would come to fruition in August as an announcement was made to the community that
NCMC and McKee Medical Center have met the MD Anderson quality standards and would officially be
a MD Anderson Cancer site.
Making this certification more impressive is that all other seven(7)sites of MD Anderson cancer centers
reside in major metropolitan cities. Although all sites have challenges conforming to the MD Anderson
model, for NCMC and McKee it was not nearly as difficult. In fact,when MD Anderson began site visits
they were excited about the existing quality standards and the level of care is what initially led MD
Anderson to want to make NCMC and McKee full partners. Everyone wants to partner with MD
Anderson; they are the best cancer center in the country,and NCMC and McKee Medical Center got a
seat at the table because of the relationship MD Anderson has with Banner.
SERVICES PROVIDED:
Main service provided is cancer treatment. With decades of experience,top national rankings and
leadership in cancer prevention, MD Anderson is the leader for cancer treatment. It goes beyond
groundbreaking research and innovative clinical care. Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center at North
Colorado Medical Center will now provide new therapies years before they become standard in the other
hospital systems.Just one example of this is that NCMC has the first and only Gynecologic oncology
program in Northern Colorado. The department is now seeing people, who used to drive to Denver,come
to NCMC for treatment
STAFF:
Currently it has a staff of 17 members as well as a new surgical oncologist named Dr. Atuhani Burnett.
Dr. Burnett sees gastro enology cancer cases. Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center at North Colorado
Medical Center is establishing itself as the regional center for this type of work. Now demand for services
has outpaced the supply of staff inside the department. The department is actively recruiting staff but due
to the level of expertise required, will take some time.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Generally speaking 15-20%annualized growth is expected inside the department. Since the MD
Anderson announcement in August,the department has seen a 250%growth in referrals; with the
majority of the referrals coming from Colorado. One surprising result from the announcement as been
staff recruitment, recently the department has been able to recruit staff at the top of their respected fields.
The department has also changed the patient process; instead of seeing only one professional in a day,the
patient can now stay in one room and have all the required professionals in the department come to them.
This approach has been initially started inside the multi-disciplinary breast clinic.Now the patient gets to
go home with a comprehensive plan. The staff has excelled with learning and adapting to the new
standards.This comprehensive approach is now starting to create some growth in departments inside the
hospital.
CHALLENGES/OBSTACLES:
One new interesting challenge as people begin to travel for treatment at NCMC is what do they do for
housing?The hospital is looking at hotel deals and/or transportation for radiation patients. This
partnership has the possibility of an economic gain for the entire community. This is the first time a
partnership has been established with a MD Anderson's like caliber organization within the state. Growth
management is another challenge,as the department is actively hiring,you have to be sensitive to patient
demands. When patients have to wait 3-4 weeks to get an appointment you burn your reputation in the
community as a place that is hard to get into. Another challenge is managing the complex relationship
between the organizations. An interesting challenge is that MD Anderson only wants a partnership with
Northern Colorado, so as of right now Banner cannot market in the Denver area.The department hopes to
change the way people think; patients can now get complex care in the Northern Colorado area.
CLOSING NOTES:
This department is one of the major successes of the hospital in recent years. Its effect on the entire
system is still yet to be determined. The coming years will be very exciting as the relationship between
MD Anderson and Banner moves forwards.
Hello