Thank you to:

Our Nurses:
Judy Cole, Kathee Douglas, Diane Aaberg, Maureen Arnold, Nancy Blodgett, Kim Fellows, Tara Frie, Peggy Gillean,  Deb Hornbacher, Jodi Kurz, Suzie Ingram, Kathy Iveland, Rachel Liverett, Brianne Marshall, Heather Masco, Rose McDonald, Jan Miller, Liz Moran, Meagan Pettinger, Tisha Mote, Tish Smith, Jinger Whitcraft, Heather Whitehead, and Phil Zappone

Our Emergency Room Techs: Dave Nixon, Michelle Romero, and Terry Stringham

Our CNA’s: Angie Portnell, Vicki Quezada, Suzie Reno, Esmeralda Berrich, Jill House, and Dearle Ricker

Our MA’s: Carrie Kern, Donna Roque, Sue Schmidt, Nancy Shouse, Sandy Caves

Our Surgical Tech: Sue Saunders

Happy National Hospital Week to all our support staff!

Thank you to:

Our Primary Care Clinic: Jen Cole, Julie Davey, Dawn Eggleston, Stacy Evans, Jodi Saunders Lee, and Cyndy Secrist,

Our Wellness: Kelly Johnson, Carol Anderson, Elizabeth Howey, Kim Hunt, and Angela Wilson

Our Registration: Sue Johnson, Jean Koenig, Lisa Montoya, Becca Myers, and Krista Truitt-Starr

Our Sterilization Tech: Billy Cotts

Our Central Scheduler: Michelle Griego

Our Health Information Management: Tracy Lindsay, Kim Ludlow, Lisa McKaughan, and Frances Miller

Our HR: Dori Blauert

Our Accounting: Misti Smyth and Nancy Vigil

Our Development: Claire Bradshaw

Our QI/Risk Management: Jan Miller

Our Administrators: Brad Cochennet and Dennis Wilson

Our Hospital Billing: Deb Brummett, Amanda Gallegos, Gale Kary, Ausha Neuleib and Jessica Starr

Our Med Staff Coordinator: Kari Ehardt

The article below was taken from the Pagosa Springs SUN newspaper.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has already started helping provide health care, at least in Pagosa Springs.

The Upper San Juan Health Service District (US-JHSD) has been awarded a Health Care Innovation award in the amount of $1.7 million. The grant, according to Pagosa Springs medical Center’s Director of tele-health emergency response and care program, “designed to improve cardiac and stroke care.”

Out of the 26 health care organizations to receive this award, USJHSD was the only one in Colorado.

“We are so proud to be the only Colorado recipient of this award,” PSMC CEO Brad Cochennet said in a written statement, adding, “We look forward to using the funding to combine innovative technology and quality health care professionals to provide state-of-the-art cardiac and stroke care to our rural community.”

The award is given by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center to enable organizations to implement projects in communities which strive to improve health care for people enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation administers the awards through cooperative agreements over three years.

Pagosa Springs Medical Center will expand access to specialists and improve the quality of acute care with this funding. The USJHSD will complete this mission with cardiovascular early detection and wellness programs, implementation of a telemedicine and remote diagnostics for cardiologist consultations, and upgrading and retraining the Emergency Medical Services Division (EMS) to manage urgent care transports and in-home follow-up patient care.

“The funding will give rural southwest Colorado access to Front Range-based cardiologists and neurologists in real-time. This is critical for saving or prolonging lives,” Cochennet said.

In addition to providing better and easier access to health care, the program will also train an estimated 25 paramedics and tele-health clinicians and create 13 new jobs to provide a new type of clinical team that will improve care outcomes for rural cardiovascular patients.

Pagosa Springs, Colo. (May 9, 2012) — The Upper San Juan Health Service District yesterday received a three-year, $1.7 million Health Care Innovation award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the only such grant awarded in Colorado among 26 nationwide thus far in round 1 of funding. The Upper San Juan Health Service District was the recipient of one of the first batch of awards announced by the Center for Medicaid & Medicare (CMS) Innovation Center. The Health Care Innovation Challenge was designed by CMS to rapidly enhance programs focused on addressing the Triple Aim goals of improving health, improving health care quality, and reducing costs for Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollees.

The award will be used to support the creation of a robust tele-health emergency response and care program designed to improve cardiac and stroke care at Pagosa Springs Medical Center.

“We are so proud to be the only Colorado recipient of this award. We look forward to using the funding to combine innovative technology and quality health care professionals to provide state-of-the-art cardiac and stroke care to our rural community,” said CEO Brad Cochennet.

With this funding, Pagosa Springs Medical Center will expand access to specialists and improve the quality of acute care. The innovative care delivery model includes cardiovascular early detection and wellness programs, implementation of a telemedicine acute-care stroke program, telemedicine and remote diagnostics utilization for cardiologist and stroke consultations, and a training component for the Emergency Medical Services Division (EMS) to manage both urgent-care emergency transports to leading hospitals around the state and in-home, follow-up patient care.

“The funding will give rural Southwest Colorado access to Front Range-based cardiologists and neurologists in real-time. This is critical for saving or prolonging lives,” said Cochennet. The new program will train approximately 25 paramedics and tele-health clinicians who will make up a new type of clinical team aimed at improving care outcomes for rural cardiovascular and stroke patients.

The program is expected to reduce health care costs by more than $8 million over a three year period. Overall, the 26 awards around the country totaled more than $122 million and are expected to save $254 million.
The other 25 awardees nationwide included Emory University, Duke University, George Washington University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. For a complete list, visit http://www.innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/Innovation-Awards/Project-Profiles.html.

By Lindsey Bright
PagosaSUN.com staff
Wednesday, February 1, 2012

The year 2011 was a year of firsts for the Pagosa Springs Medical Center (PSMC).

It became the first medical center in the region to have a 128-slice CT scanner. PSMC hired its first surgeon, Dr. Dave Schaeffer, and its second, Schaeffer’s wife, Dr. Amber Reiss-Holt. Schaeffer performed the first surgery in Pagosa Springs. PSMC had a total net patient revenue over $1 million for the first time.

Thus far, it looks like 2012 will follow the trend of firsts. For the first time, telemedicine was successfully utilized to evaluate a potential stroke victim.

As previously reported in The SUN, in December PSMC signed a contract with Swedish Medical Center in Denver for service and equipment as part of the Collaborative Digital Online Consultant (CO-DOC) program. CO-DOC connects rural hospitals with stroke neurologists at Swedish’s Stroke Center to provide quality, specialty care through a site-independent, Internet-based telemedicine system.

Rosie, the affectionate name the PSMC gave the robot-like telemedicine equipment, is a portable telemedicine device equipped with two cameras, a screen, stethoscope, phone and wheels. If a patient comes to PSMC with stroke symptoms, Rosie is used to allow stroke specialists to remotely evaluate the patient.

Kathee Douglas, director of the ER, explained that the patient who came in three weeks ago was having trouble speaking as well as moving — definite symptoms of a stroke.

After the patient arrived at the PSMC hospital, Rosie was wheeled to the bedside and the CO-DOC number dialed. “Hello, we have a patient with stroke symptoms,” a nurse said to the technician on the other end of the phone.

“In less than five minutes, a neurologist will be on the screen,” Douglas said.

A reverberating cymbal sound is heard coming from Rosie’s speakers. Douglas describes it as similar to the sound on Star Trek when Scotty beams someone up.

“The neurologist beams in just like in Star Trek,” Douglas said.

In this case, it was Judd Jensen, M.D., who appeared on the screen. Once on the screen, Jensen had control of Rosie. He had the ability to zoom the cameras in and out, to show a variety of pictures and evaluate the patient’s responses to questions concerning the pictures. With the help of the Pagosa physician and nurse on duty, Jensen was even able to listen to the patient’s heartbeat. Jensen was also able to access the patient’s file, review the CT scan and consult with other physicians, all within minutes.

“After awhile, the patient doesn’t notice the robot anymore,” Douglas said, explaining that, since the physician on the other end has control, the robot takes on humanlike qualities. During the course of the evaluation, the patient, Douglas said, communicates and feels a connection with the physician.

The tests are being conducted for two reasons: to find out whether or not the patient is experiencing a stroke and, if so, whether the stroke is ischemic or hemorrhagic. If it is ischemic, the patient will be given tPA, a drug that will dissolve the blood clot. In this case, the patient would be able to remain in Pagosa. If the patient were experiencing a hermorrhagic stroke, the patient would have to be flown to a hospital specializing in stroke treatment, such as Swedish Medical Center.

The first patient, Douglas said, could not pass any of Jensen’s tests. However, after approximately 15 minutes, the symptoms began to clear.

“The patient’s symptoms cleared up on their own,” Douglas said, adding, “The patient did not get the clot-busting drug because it was not required.” However, just because a drug was not required and the patient was not having a stroke, does not mean that Rosie was not of use. The symptoms were that of stroke.

“Without Rosie, the patient would have been sent off, and not to Durango. Probably to Swedish,” Douglas said. To be flown to Swedish is an expensive trip, costing upwards of $20,000.

Instead, what happened was Jensen discussed what might have caused the symptoms with a consulting physician at PSMC. Together, they planned a course of treatment and testing.

“Telemedicine affords Pagosa a luxury we otherwise wouldn’t have,” Douglas said.

According to Nicole Williams, Swedish Medical Center’s Assistant Vice President of Marketing, the HealthONE Telemedicince Network in Colorado is growing and expanding into more fields. “We are currently piloting Telemedicine in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit with one of our doctors from the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children,” Williams wrote in an e-mail, adding, “We are also currently piloting Telemedicine with Behavioral Health … We know that there is a great need among our 25 rural hospital partners for that service and are working diligently to develop it.”

Williams also said that, further down the road, HealthONE will be looking into cardiology and other services that are in short supply in the rural regional areas.

Douglas said that PSMC would be looking into expanding the telemedicine service into these other areas once their pilot programs are successfully completed. Until then, Rosie will continue to serve as a means for potential stroke patients in the Pagosa area to be evaluated by specialists, saving trips to larger hospitals and possibly, one day, even saving lives.

lindsey@pagosasun.com

Choose from these tests and screenings:

Diabetes Panel = Fasting Glucose + A1C $27
Hemoglobin A1C $17
Fasting Glucose $12
Glucose / 2 hour $27
Urine Micro Albumin $37

Thyroid
TSH-Thyroid Stimulating Hormone $27
FT3-Free T3 $22
FT4-Free T4 $22
Cholesterol
Fasting Lipid Panel $27
Pregnancy
Preg S $22
Preg U $22
Urinary Screen
UA Complete $12
Iron
Ferritin $27
Blood Type ABO/RH $27
Complete Blood Count $17

Complete Metabolic Panel $32
Basic Metabolic Panel $22
Influenza $47
Mononucleosis $17
Urine Drug Screen $47
Uric Acid $12
Liver Function $22
Prostate $32
Strep Throat $32
PT/INR Monitoring $12

Specimens collected before 11am will have results available for pickup by 1500 the same day.
Most fingerstick A1C and PT/INR results available immediately.

Keeping you close to home for your medical needs.

Tuesday, January 17th at 6:00PM. Held in the Pagosa Room @ Pagosa Springs Medical Center.

Dr. Buzz Polcznski, from Riverside Health Practice, will be speaking about the thyroid for this month’s seminar. It will be catered by Nello’s.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn more about how the thyroid gland acan affect you and your health.

Please call the Wellness Center at 731-9545 or Email: wellness@usjhd.org to RSVP by Tuesday, January 10th.

By Lindsey Bright

PagosaSUN.com
Wednesday, December 14, 2011

The Pagosa Springs Medical Center (PSMC) has grown.

The clinic now has 12 providers. There is now a 24/7 Emergency Room as part of the Critical Access Hospital. The hospital has two surgeons, who performed a total of 63 surgeries in November alone.

However, in the past year, the physical space of the PSMC has stayed the same. The providers work in what is fondly referred to as “the dorm,” a single room with six desks. The break room serves as administrative offices for six employees, lunchroom, meeting room and is still the only break room.

Here, in this crowded space, enters the Master Facilities Plan.

After last month’s presentation by Bob Owens of Boulder Associates of preliminary plans and figures for clinic and hospital expansion, the strategic planning committee gave the Upper San Juan Health Service District (USJHSD) their recommendation. Board member Jim Knoll, speaking on behalf of the strategic planning committee, recommended what he referred to as “Plan 1 Phase A Light,” essentially an expansion of the present clinic.

“The clinic needs to expand to better accommodate the present staff and future applicants,” Knoll said.

CEO Brad Cochennet confirmed that the plan, capital and clinic needs had been reviewed and said there is a $6 million target estimate for the recommended clinic expansion. Cochennet mentioned that as well as expanding primary care, ideally the plan would also involve acquisition of Pagosa Springs Family Medical Center’s building, which is currently owned by board member Jim Pruitt.

According to Cochennet, the expansion would be financed by the district mill levy, grant funding and donations. Cochennet would like to wait until the PSMC completes a community needs assessment in May 2012 before asking for an extension of the mill levy. The community needs assessment is scheduled to be complete Jan. 10.

“We’re not going to the public to ask one penny more,” said Knoll, adding that the USJHSD may ask for what money the public already gives through extension of the mill levy.

Also, to help with the funding, a development director is slated to start work Jan. 6, and would be delegated the duty of raising certain funds.

The board unanimously approved moving forward with the Plan 1 Phase A Light clinic expansion plan.

PSMC is growing in more ways than expanding services, physical space and increased patient numbers. The USJHSD board agreed to meet with Centura regarding possible affiliation, with a prior work session to discuss other possible affiliations and what PSMC would hope to accomplish in the agreement.

“We need to move forward and meet with Centura,” recommended Knoll, clarifying that the meeting would be with Centura and not Mercy Hospital.

According to Cochennet, Centura has shown interest in affiliation and has been waiting several months for a meeting. Other interested institutions interested in affiliations, Cochennet said, were Health One and Denver Health.

“I’m up for a meeting, but we need to meet with our own people first,” Pruitt said.

Dr. Dave Schaeffer suggested that the medical staff be present at the work session, “because they are the ones interacting with the other providers and institutions.”

The board agreed to meet with Centura, with a prior work session scheduled for a yet to be determined date in January. The work session, according to Board Chair Neal Townsend, will be for the purpose of creating a clear, uniform objective agreed to by board members, providers and PSMC senior staff.

lindsey@pagosasun.com

By Lindsey Bright,
PagosaSUN.com staff
Wednesday, September 28, 2011

While expansion and the addition of services and staff was the protocol at the Pagosa Springs Medical Center (PSMC) this year, the proposed budget for 2012 does not provide the same room for growth.

Chief Financial Officer Dennis Wilson based the draft budget on an anticipated 26-percent decrease in tax revenue due to an anticipated decrease in property tax revenues. This could translate to a loss of $600,000.

There are also potential federal cuts that could affect the reimbursement funding through Medicare and Medicaid that PSMC receives as a Rural Access Hospital and Rural Access Clinic.

CEO Brad Cochennet said at Tuesday night’s USJHSD board meeting that the focus for next year will be quality, efficiency and adding volume to programs already in place.

“We want to add volume to already existing programs,” Cochennet said.

Thus, Wilson in calculating the budget did not add any significant new items or programs.

The numbers from last month’s financials show that the PSMC is already well on its way to adding volume. August was a record breaking month for clinic visits, the number reaching 1,170.

The budget for next year, though, is based on a monthly visit average of 1,500 visits. Dr. Nick Kurz does not anticipate that number being a problem. The clinic, which at this time last year had only one doctor, now has a team of four full-time providers and, Kurz said he has noticed a rise in patient satisfaction and return visits.

The anticipated numbers of users in 2011’s new programs, such as CT scanner and surgery, have met, and in most cases exceeded, expectations. In the month of September, as of press time, 11 surgeries had been completed. The lone program that is lagging behind is the eye surgery program. PSMC contracts with the Four Corners Eye Clinic, and opthalmologists Dr. Eric Meyer and Dr. Joshua Zastrocky.

Cochennet spoke with Dr. Zastrocky and Dr. Meyer concerning the low numbers. According to Cochennet, the doctors kept the numbers purposefully low during the introductory phase of eye surgery service. However, Cochennet said they see no reason why they wouldn’t be able to amp up the numbers in the upcoming year.

Finance Committee chair Karl Irons approved of the budget. “I think it is a conservative budget,” Irons said. “But it is a wait-and-see year.”

Board members Jim Pruitt and Michelle Visel expressed concern with the budget having too little “wiggle room.”

“Looks really, really tight,” Pruitt said, pointing out that the amount listed for self-pay might be too low. That number, however, will most likely be affected if unemployment continues to rise.

The board approved the budget for public comment.

Cochennet brought the donated business plan for mammography and bone density before the board. The program’s demographic focus would be women who are currently not having mammographies.

“The women that don’t get mammography screenings, they’re not concerned about radiology, not worried they’re going to find something, they just don’t have the money,” Pruitt said.

The discussion moved on to what type of funding would be available, not only for the cost of the machine, but for patients.

Dr. Dave Schaeffer, new surgeon at PSMC, discussed his experience at his previous post. He worked at a clinic that had a program with a funding program to assist women seeking screening. However, the funding ceased.

“We got a lot of bad press for having to send women away,” said Schaeffer, advising that, if the USJHSD decided to move forward with a mammography program, it should search for a way to offer comprehensive funding that would last throughout the patient’s need for care, not just the screening phase.

The board did not make a final decision regarding a mammography business plan, but instead opted to wait until a copy of the Master Facilities Plan was given to the board — expected some time in November. The Master Facilities Plan will detail the cost and different possibilities of physically expanding the PSMC facilities.

“Primary care needs to be step one,” Visel said.

The current issue facing primary care is limited space in the clinic.

“It’s a very tiny work space,” Cochennet said. If there is no hope for change, the situation will become demoralizing.”

Kurz agreed. All new programs and doctors require space to accommodate and, as of now, there is no more space.

The MFP cost is likely to be in the ball park of millions of dollars.

The Mary Fisher Foundation will take the helm fund-raising for the MFP or mammography plan. But, as Visel, board representative to the foundation, said, the board must direct the Mary Fisher Foundation concerning the top fund-raising priority. Is it the MFP or mammography?

“We need more fund-raisers,” Visel commented.”It is a job and it is a lot of work.”

For next year, Cochennet has budgeted for a director of development position, the main job of which will be to raise funds. As of now, though, there are no candidates for that position. If filled, the director of development will be charged right off the bat with raising $200,000.

After the board members look at the MFP and compare it to budget numbers, a decision will be made as to priorities and what the next step will be. Right now, it seems the focus will be on accommodating the expansion that has occurred to this point in time.