Deborah Shaffer

The meeting began with an agenda change to move Capital Expenditure Requests (CERs) earlier to allow public comment. Following the approval of previous meeting minutes, two CERs were presented and approved: one for $36,828 related to the Contexture migration to address lost manual report uploads, and another for $35,500. The Board entered executive session to consider documents protected by mandatory nondisclosure provisions regarding an RCM Board Report. After returning to open session, updates were provided on revenue cycle improvements, including hiring a CDI specialist and establishing a denial team, along with a discussion on handling uncollectible debt. Financial statements for November 2025 were reviewed, showing a significant decrease in losses compared to the prior year and a record amount in bad debt collections. The Board entered a second executive session to discuss strategy for negotiations concerning enhancing credit access, improving the cash position, CAH status, and matters related to the Interim CFO. Subsequent discussions in open session covered provider contracts and bonus structures, focusing on Fair Market Value guidelines and ongoing litigation regarding PA/NP compensation in orthopedic surgery, as well as a decision to table the detailed CEO search process timeline and committee composition until the January meeting.

The meeting commenced with the call to order and the welcoming of a new board member, Mr. Walton, who took the oath of office for Director of Delta County Memorial Hospital District. Following this, the board proceeded with the election of new officers, appointing Dr. Doug Speedy as the new board chair, confirming a vice chair, and re-electing Bruce mixture as secretary treasurer. Committee assignments were discussed, including members for the Finance Committee, Foundation Board, and Credentialing. A significant portion of the meeting involved reviewing the results of an accreditation survey, detailing 18 non-conformities that require remediation across various areas such as process audits, quality dashboard goals, patient safety events follow-up, Respiratory Care protocols, physician oversight for policies, discharge planning documentation, and physical environment standards like eyewash stations, which require capital expenditure for updating plumbing to meet current NFPA standards. The board also took action to formally approve the hospital anesthesia locations, covering Surgery, Radiology, ER, Endoscopy, ICU, Med Surg, and OB departments, designating Dr. Nickel to oversee anesthesia in that capacity. Finally, a presentation was given regarding House Bill 21-198, the Hospital Discount Care program, requiring providers to screen patients for public health care options.

The board discussed renewing the line of credit with Alpine Bank. They reviewed Delta Health's strategic plan, challenges in the national healthcare landscape, difficulties of operating in healthcare, the need for local control, removing barriers to effective care delivery, financial concerns, potential loss of 340B status, and fluctuating cash reserves. They also discussed employee compensation and benefits planning, wage scales with caps, merit-based increase system, cost of living adjustments, financial implications of HR1, retirement match adjustments, wage increases, wage caps, and the overall wage scale structure. A new benefits broker was selected, with shifts in the health plan to UMR through United Healthcare and the pharmacy plan to CVS Caremark. The board also discussed enhancing service delivery through strategic partnerships with local government and community organizations, applying for Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation, community engagement, legislative advocacy, service delivery, financial sustainability, community needs assessment, telehealth, AI, and the hospital's benefit package. The board also went into executive session to discuss matters that may be subject to negotiations. The fragmented nature of the current revenue cycle was highlighted as a primary concern, and the Delta Health Administration team will seek RFPs in regards to the revenue cycle.

The meeting addressed procedural items, including confirming the agenda and opening for public comment, which received no input. The board approved the minutes from the February 19, 2024 meeting under the consent agenda. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to a quarterly report on the Quality Plan, detailing efforts in Quality Oversight and Process Improvement, Patient Safety (including infection control goals such as maintaining 95% hand hygiene compliance and monitoring MDROs), Health Data and Analytics (utilizing a quality dashboard and achieving zero central line infections since 2021), Care Transitions (focusing on pharmacy counseling and follow-up calls post-discharge), Performance and Patient Satisfaction (monitoring HCAP scores and addressing complaints), Regulatory and Accreditation preparedness (anticipating an unannounced DNV survey), Employee Empowerment and Leadership Involvement (emphasizing frontline staff participation in committees like the Chapter 4 Nurse Staffing Committee, which requires 60% frontline staff representation to comply with Colorado state legislation). Discussions also touched upon the hospital transformation project and the need for third-party vendors for CMS data submissions.

Key discussions during the meeting included the approval of new appointments to the Hospital Foundation Board, Caryn Gibson and Angeles Mendez. The Quality Update covered performance metrics related to federal and state programs, noting Delta Health's two consecutive 'A' grades from Leapfrog. The CFO Financial Review indicated higher operating revenue than budgeted but noted increased operating expenses due to labor costs, leading to contracting a new broker and third-party administrator. CEO updates focused on Delta Health's selection for the Rural Transformation Program, preparation for going live with the Da Vinci system in January 2026, and progress toward Critical Access Hospital designation with anticipated assistance from Congressman Hurd. COO updates confirmed a significant recovery payment from Rocky Mountain reprocessing claims and an increase in the monthly check amount, alongside the renaming of a facility to Delta Health Rural Care Clinic and the upcoming December 1st go-live for urgent care services with expanded hours. Strategies to address decreased inpatient discharges were reviewed, including recruitment efforts and the addition of the Da Vinci robot. Clinical updates discussed the trend of sicker inpatients managed more effectively in primary care, the hiring of a locum radiologist, and Delta Health providing sterile processing services to Community Hospital during evening hours. The board reviewed proposed changes to the bylaws (Articles V and XIV) for a first read and approved several Capital Equipment Requests (CERs), including funding for Microsoft 365, a Hip Navigation System, sterilization equipment, and Da Vinci startup instrumentation. The meeting concluded with an executive session to discuss strategy related to Ovation and Amplify negotiations and legal advice concerning a specific collection agency matter.