In The News

Highland District Hospital is doing well financially and last year saw its fifth straight year with a positive bottom line.


That’s what HDH CEO Jim Baer said Monday during a tour of the facility with U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup. Baer said three years ago the hospital was losing $1 million a year in its OB department, but decided to not to close it because that would have a left a five-county gap in the area with no hospitals with maternity wards.


Baer said that when DHL closed a few years ago, the hospital looked at ways it could save money. He said it adjusted its purchasing by joining a network and adjusted staffing. He said no staffing cuts were made, but some staff was transferred and when others left they were not replaced.


Randy Lennart, HDH chief financial officer, told Wenstrup that Obamacare has been a big help to many Highland County residents. Baer agreed that was true, but he also said many people in the area have chosen Obamacare plans with large deductibles.


“They come here for their initial care and burn up their deductibles, then go on to the city for larger procedures,” Lennartz said.


That means HDH often ends up eating the deductible, Bear said.


A doctor himself, Wesnstrup said he believes hospitals are going to become collection agencies more than they ever have in the past. He said he understands these are challenging times for hospitals like HDH and asked the administrators to keep him informed.


Hospital officials also told Wenstrup they believe they’ve taken all the precautionary steps necessary in the event that a patient with Ebola should end up at their facility.


Tim Parry, head of nursing at the hospital, said that about 30 minutes before Wenstrup’s arrival he was in an isolation room acting the part of an Ebola patient as hospital staff practiced how to handle a real patient with the deadly disease.


“The big thing is having a buddy system when you’re taking the (protective gear) on and off because that’s where most of the contamination comes from,” Parry said. “I really feel that as a community we’re stepping forward with the right foot to make sure we’re prepared.”

Click here to see the original story.