North Shore Health (NSH) board members received quite a bit of good news at their Thursday, August 24 board meeting.
The new hospital rooms, emergency department and procedure room are complete and now being used. After the final in a series of surveys, the Survey and Certification Division of the Minnesota Department of Health granted occupancy certification for the new space on August 22.
On August 1 Deputy Fire Marshal James Anderson inspected the new space and on August 8 Ben Zwart, engineer with the Health Regulation Division of Minnesota Department of Health then inspected the space. Both surveyors asked for additional information and documentation (pictures), which were sent. Mr. Anderson and Mr. Zwart then issued certificates of compliance. North Shore Health Administrator/CEO Kimber Wraalstad thanked the staff for all their efforts during the move. Amy Lacina, hospital director of nursing commented the move went better that she anticipated.
The hospital nursing staff are getting acclimated to their new environment and are figuring out new workflow.
Along with the move, the Avera e-Emergency system went live on Monday, August 21. All camera equipment and monitors are in place, and the staff checked the connection between the hospital and the hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota that is supplying the service to North Shore Health. Nurses will do two camera checks each day to help learn the system and give them an opportunity to practice.
Every year the hospital receives a “Purchase of Service Contract” from Cook County Public Health and Human Services (PHHS), and this year was no different.
North Shore Home Care bills the PHHS sliding fee program only if no other payer is appropriate. It is used as the payer of last resort, said NSH director Kimber Wraalstad.
Under terms of the contract, the county can purchase home health care services for clients who are receiving care on a sliding fee basis. This service is for customers who don’t receive Medicare or Medicaid. The county will provide payment up to $25,000 for the program, which matches last year’s figure. However, said Wraalstad, this is a 37.5 percent reduction ($15,000) from the $40,000 allowed in 2015. The board accepted the contract as revised.
The NSH board also discussed the 2018 levy. It was decided to maintain the levy at the current amount of $800,000.
North Shore Health received the funds for Rural Hospital Capital Improvement grant awarded in 2016 for a microbiology upgrade project. The purchase and installation of a Microbiology Analyzer and the Meditech Microbiology Module cost was $89,900, of which the grant funded 80 percent. The hospital was responsible for picking up the 20 percent matching funds. Vera Schumann and Jenifer Backstrom prepared and submitted the grant application.
A shift coordinator position has been developed for the North Shore Ambulance squad. The shift coordinator will be the paramedic on duty or on-call for the day. Both paramedics Sheila Costello and Jason White have assumed the responsibility and will be the immediate resource for the ambulance service personnel and the volunteers. They will report to the ambulance manager and medical director.
Following a successful inspection on June 15, North Shore Health was notified that the mammography service met the Food and Drug Administration Mammography Quality Standards.
Four members of a survey team who arrived on Monday, July 31 and left three days later on Thursday afternoon conducted the North Care Center annual Medicare inspection.
On August 15 A Statement of Deficiencies was received, and Wraalstad said two items were cited.
The first asked for “documentation of the intake nutritional supplements” which wasn’t available, and the second said immunization of residents with the pneumococcal vaccination with types of shots, was not provided or documented.
Inspectors also cited several other deficiencies in the Life Safety Code Survey, but all were minor, having to deal with items like “documentation of tests for electrical receptacles,” and “completion of the newly required risk assessments” etc.
Plans of corrections were made and submitted by August 25. Wraalstad thanked the care center staff for the results of an excellent survey.
Dr. Schmidt presented his proposal concerning the interim emergency department medical director. Nancy Rova, M.D. has decided she would not be able to continue with the position she has held the last eight years.
Dr. Rova, who used to work at Sawtooth Mountain Clinic, has worked for several years in Duluth and has not worked any ER shifts for at least five years. Dr. Rova’s last day was August 31.
Dr. Schmidt has served as the North Shore Hospital medical director for the past two years. Wraalstad said Dr. Schmidt had done an outstanding job in improving communications between the hospital and Sawtooth Mountain Clinic, and she felt he would make an excellent interim emergency department medical director. The board voted to proceed with negotiations and implementation of the proposal.
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