North Shore Health Board of Directors received a quick tutorial about the 2021 budget before approving it.
The projected 2021 North Shore Health budget is $20,671,952, up seven percent from the projected 2020 revenue. Half of that, $10,161,477, is dedicated to salaries and wages, an increase of 4.6 percent over 2020. That hike is almost entirely caused by the rise in the cost of providing health insurance to employees (10 percent), as well as a 37 percent increase in workers’ compensation.
Budgeted 2021 FTEs (full-time employees) are 113.5, an increase of 6.8 FTE’s over the projected fiscal year 2020 FTE’s of 106.7. Several factors contributed to the increase in staffing: more nurses were needed, a support specialist was hired, and housekeeping staff was increased so North Shore Health can contract with the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic to provide janitorial services.
Deductions from revenue included Charity Care, Bad Debt, and Contractual Adjustments. These are budgeted at $2,424,408 for 2021 and represent 11.7 percent of Patient Services Revenue. Contractual adjustments represent payments received from a third party that are less than North Shore Health’s rate for that service.
Non-operating revenue includes the Hospital District Tax levy of $1,300,000 approved by the hospital board at their September 2020 meeting.
Also factored in are COVID-19 grants the hospital has received from the government for payroll expenses and to purchase supplies.
COVID-19
North Shore Health has transitioned to testing employees monthly with the county positivity rate for COVID-19 below five percent over the last three weeks. This follows the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services guidelines. To date, North Shore Health employees, volunteers, essential caregivers, and physicians have been tested ten times. The lab has processed nearly 1,700 tests over the last month and a half, compared to 503 tests in October and 311 in September.
There was some good news for people with high health care risks diagnosed with COVID- 19. North Shore Health has received the monoclonal antibody treatment, Bamianivimab or Casirivimab/Imdevimab, which may help reduce a patient’s symptoms when given early in COVID-19 cases.
Wraalstad said this medicine takes about one hour to administer and then another hour for a patient to be observed before the patient can go home. Patients can receive this medicine Monday through Saturday.
So far, 96 percent of the North Shore Health staff received the flu shot. The vaccinations are available to employees at no charge.
Enrollment in the 340B Drug Pricing program continues, with the North Shore Health pharmacists, DeeDee LeRock-Muggley and Katherine Taylor, meeting every two weeks with SUNRx. The program is expected to begin in early 2021.
As of January 1, 2021, all hospitals in the United States will be required to provide clear, accessible pricing information online detailing the items and services provided. Wraalstad said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) transparency rule would require hospitals to provide an out-of-pocket price estimator tool or information on 300 “shoppable” services for patients as well as disclose privately negotiated rates with health insurers, discounted cash prices and gross charges. Noncompliance could result in fines of up to $300 per day. Kathy Bernier is working with TruBridge to develop the online information required for price transparency for North Shore Health.
Applications closed on December 11 for the newly created Public Information Coordinator position shared with the county. North Shore Health and the county will be scheduling interviews with prospective candidates.
The visitation policy at North Shore Health allows essential caregivers and compassionate visits from family members to residents and patients under special circumstances. The visitation policy will be reviewed early in the new year.
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