HomeMy WebLinkAbout20181964.tiffNCMC Board of Trustees
Regular Session Minutes
Monday, May 21, 2018
12:00 Noon
The Board of Trustees of North Colorado Medical Center met in Regular Session on Monday,
May 21, 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: Catherine Davis (via teleconference), Mark Lawley, Kevin Mullin,
Michael Simone, Brian Underwood, Jason Yeater, and Sean Conway (Commissioner, non-
voting member)
Banner Health: Margo Karsten (NCMC CEO) -Excused, and 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 (Simone/Yeater) to approve the minutes from the April 30, 2018, Regular Session
meeting.
COMMISSIONER'S REPORT
Commissioner Conway provided dates and times for public open house meetings concerning
the Highway 34 PEL (Planning and Environmental Linkage) Study. He promoted the fourth
Vietnam Veterans 'Welcome Home' Pinning Ceremony scheduled for June 2, 2018, from
8:00-10:00 a.m., at the Windsor Recreation Center. He reported CDOT will be adding a
managed lane from Highway 402, north to Highway 14, which should be completed by the
end of 2020. Additionally, CR 49 from CR 60.5 north to Highway 392 is nearly complete. He
stated he has been selected as the Vice Chair of the State Transportation Advisory Committee
and will be focusing on Highway 34, the 1-25 North Express project, plus others. He is the first
representative from the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization and he
intends to work to keep Northern Colorado projects in the forefront of their planning. Lastly,
he stated the Home Rule Charter Committee continues to meet and form recommendations
to be presented to the Commissioners in July.
NCM CEO/COO REPORT
Derek Strader, COO, stated negotiation of the MD Anderson contract is still on track and they
are working to finalize the GAP analysis to get the necessary providers and programs in place.
He stated the community campaign announcements are targeted for August. He reported
the Banner Urgent Care Services (BUCS) facility had its grand opening in Fort Collins last week,
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May 21, 2018 NCMC Board of Trustees
and the vacant Neighbors building is under review as a possible BUCS site. He stated,
strategically, NCMC is looking to relocate urgent care currently housed in the Summit View
building, and backfill the space with primary care services. He noted there is a trend for
locating urgent care centers in proximity to grocery stores based on convenience and
shopping patterns. Mr. Strader also addressed Ambulatory Surgery, stating they are looking
to expand services in Greeley, and increased convalescent beds will be part of the strategy.
In response to Mr. Mullin, he stated the Fort Collins campus will not be an MD Anderson
facility due to the small size of the campus, rather, they are focusing on making NCMC a
multi -disciplinary destination site. There was also discussion concerning local, dedicated
ambulance services for the Platteville-Gilcrest emergency response district, like Fort Lupton;
however, there is a relatively small call volume in the area and the residents will have to
consider cost sustainability through taxpayer funds and how to absorb the losses. He stated
part of the request stems from the terms of the existing contract with Greeley and a desire
to ensure that the larger call volume doesn't draw away from the other smaller districts.
VISITATION REPORT FOR MAY 21, 2018
PROCESS IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (PIP), JASON COLLINS AND TYLER TRUM
Jason Collins and Tyler Trum were present and provided an overview of the Process
Improvement Program (PIP), their training and the strategies for improvement throughout
the organization. Following the meeting, Kevin Mullin submitted a summary of the
presentation and discussion, a written copy of which is attached as a part of these minutes.
Mark Lawley prepared a note of thanks.
VISITATION REPORT FOR JUNE 25, 2018
Catherine Davis and Michael Simone
NCMC, INC. REPORT
Jeff Carlson stated the Fitch audit results have been disbursed, they are currently getting
ready for review by Standard and Poor (S&P) and hoping for an improved credit rating outlook
from A- to A+. He referenced the mandatory reports for review (distributed to the Trustees
as part of the Agenda packet). In response to Mr. Mullin, Mr. Carlson explained the need for
the ongoing disclosure from the insurance carrier. Mr. Simone commented NCMC, Inc. can
self -fund, versus paying the premiums.
NEW BUSINESS — None.
ADJOURN
There being no further business to come before the Board, it was MSC [Simone/Yeater] to
adjourn the meeting at 12:57 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Esther Gesick
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May 21, 2018 NCMC Board of Trustees
NCMC Board of Trustees Report
Process Improvement Program
Jason Collins and Tyler Trum, Presenters
May 21, 2018
Process Improvement is the proactive task of identifying, analyzing and improving upon
existing business processes within an organization for optimization and to meet new quotas or
standards of quality. It often involves a systematic approach which follows a specific
methodology but there are different approaches to be considered. Some examples are
benchmarking or lean manufacturing, each of which focuses on different areas of improvement
and uses different methods to achieve the best results. Processes can either be modified or
complemented with sub -processes or even eliminated for the ultimate goal of improvement.
Process Improvement is an ongoing practice and should always be followed up with the
analysis of tangible areas of improvement. When implemented successfully, the results can be
measured in the enhancement of product quality, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty,
increased productivity, development of the skills of employees, efficiency and increased profit
resulting in higher and faster return on investment (ROI).
Banner Health has been utilizing Process Improvement strategies and recently have made the
training available to Northern Colorado area staff for the purpose of improving operations in a
time when healthcare margins are slim, reimbursement are under pressure, and the future is
murky due to the changing regulatory environment. Banner has been using Lean and Six
Sigma, which started at Toyota Motor Company to improve manufacturing systems.
There are many areas where PI strategies can benefit the enterprise, but it is important to
approach the process in a methodical way, and to start small and develop buy -in with line staff.
Showing small "wins" can provide the path to taking on bigger and more complex projects.
Currently there is an ER Throughput Project being worked on. The goal is to reduce ER wait
times and get patients in to see a physician faster. Analytical tools are being used to
benchmark, so that bottlenecks can be identified and opportunities for improvement can be
targeted. It is important to focus on the project rather than people, as challenges with
productivity are often caused by a poor system, or a good system that has not been
implemented properly. Although the ER is staffed by an outside physician group, they are
bought into the project because their compensation is based, in part, on their productivity and
so they have a financial interest (as well as a professional interest) in getting patients seen as
quickly as possible.
Banner is also looking at using Rapid Improvement Events to tackle smaller, less complex
project opportunities. These events are done in approximately 3 weeks, and include topics
such as "Do we need to have ER curtains now that we have private rooms in the ER?" The ER
curtains date back to a time when there were multiple patients in one room. The curtains were
there to protect patient privacy; this is a good example of a system that was created for a good
reason, but it has outlived its usefulness. Sometimes part of PI is identifying things that we
only do "because we have always done it," even though it does not have the same relevance
today. Some of the things to consider as a part of the process include financial costs, benefits
to patients, staff productivity, etc.
Further considerations when looking at Process Improvement include:
* The costs of poor quality
* Impacts to various areas, such as:
* Procurement
* Number of steps for staff
* Wait time for patients
* Customer Loyalty
* Viewpoint. Projects must be considered from multiple vantage points, so cross -functional
teams are important to the process
* Doing the Wrong things Right, versus doing the Right things Wrong
* Understanding how things work, while assessing how things should work
* Including both the manager and the person who does the work - their perspectives often
differ
Respectfully submitted,
Kevin L. Mullin
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