Your World Today – Friday May 22, 2015
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NEWS Friday, May 22, 2015
The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors met for their regular meeting Tuesday evening at the hospital library. In the summary of operations for the month of April, Chief Financial Officer Becky Cunningham reported that inpatient admissions and inpatient census days as well as outpatient registrations were below budget but as just as it was in March, the emergency room visits were over budget. The hospital had a loss from operations of $119,750 for the month and had an excess of expenses over revenues after taxes of $114,391. Cunningham reported the hospital had an audit review by Medicare for Fiscal Year 2012 and they have indicated the hospital may have to pay back $255,000 in charges so Cunningham is already holding money back to pay the money back. The Hospital was using MEDHOST to track time and Medicare did not like the way it was done. The hospital moved to a different system the next year. Working with their CPA Firm, B K & D, the hospital is hoping that amount will be reduced. Cunningham went on to say the hospital capitalized the new Call-Light System moving it to the balance sheet from income statement which becomes basically a wash on the books. Cunningham went on to say the hospital is still waiting on being reimbursed from Medicare on charges from as far back as January due to a certification error. She feels that she has it cleared up and the hospital should be receiving about $400,000 in back charges. Because they are still waiting for reimbursement, there was a decrease in cash for the month of $301,659. Assistant Chief Nursing Officer Mary Lou Brooks reported during the month there were 853 emergency room visits with an average turnaround time of 125 minutes. She said there were 57 acute care patients; 194 ambulance runs with 190 patients being assessed; 33 surgery cases, 1,628 outpatient registrations, 245 home health visits, 7,688 lab tests, 1,043 radiological procedures, 194 CT scans, 22 MRI scans, 3 nuclear med scans, 470 rehab treatments, 177 dialysis treatments and 316 clinical visits of which 162 were for podiatry. Hospital Administrator Dennis Pryor reported the state did pass Limit of Medical Liability legislation this session that will help Missouri doctors. The Board reviewed the Chief of Staff's report and approved the Medical Staff's recommendation of Courtesy Staff Privileges for Ashok Chada, MD and Robert Hockman, MD for the Emergency Room. Pryor reported 305 people participated in the Health Screenings at the Salem Community Center at the Armory held May 6th and 7th. Assistant Administrator Kasey Lucas reported the hospital is still waiting on the $210,000 from the state for the Medicaid Attestation that was filed and approved. Mary Lou Brooks reported that the hospital would be working with Healthy Dent County for the Community Needs Assessment again this time. The Finance Committee gave their report in preparation for the 2016 fiscal year budget that included a raise in the hospital minimum wage to $8.25, plus other salary increases of 3%, a supply cost increase of 4%, a retirement plan increase of 4% and a drug cost increase of 9%. After the budgeted numbers were generated, the 2016fiscal year budget showed an anticipated gain from operations of $182,684 and an excess of revenues over expenses of $677,684 after tax revenues. The board will review these numbers and discuss approving the budget at the next meeting. After a lengthy discussion on the upgrading of MEDHOST for the Emergency Room at a cost of $40,000, the board did approve the purchase by a 5-1 vote. The board then went into closed session where no votes were taken on any issues. The meeting was then adjourned.
The Salem High School Graduation Commencement exercises will be held tonight at 7:00 for the 130th graduating class at the Salem High School Football Field. Gates will open at 5:30 and there will be no concessions available. A total of 127 students are expected to graduate with a total of six valedictorians and one salutatorian, Savannah Hanning. The six valedictorians include Nikki Busbey, Nicholas Cowan, Nicole Hall, Hayden Major, Kayla Oller and Rachel Walden. The exercises will feature a musical selection by the Salem High School Chamber Choir and a total of 36 scholarships will be awarded. Those unable to attend will be able to watch the exercises live of Fidelity Channel 6 commercial free and online at fidelitylocal6.com. The ceremony will be played back a number of times with commercial insertion on Fidelity Local 6 starting on Saturday. If it should rain, the exercises will be moved inside the SHS Gym.
SPORTS [TOP]
Members of the Salem Tennis Team participated in Sectionals Tuesday. Nick Hawach lost in the Individual Category while Gabe Morton and Casey Davison lost in the Doubles Category. The Salem Tigers Tennis Team will play Greenwood High School at Waynesville in Sectional starting at 9:00 on Saturday. The other schools participating in Sectionals will be Thomas Jefferson Independent and Warrensburg. The winner between all four schools goes to Springfield to compete in the final four.
This Saturday will be Sectionals in track. Qualifying for Salem are Logan Woolf, Jakob Happel, Aaron Hodges, Zak Eplin and Savannah Hanning.
At the Salem Athletic Banquet Wednesday, Athletic Director Phillip Karr handed out the Tiger Awards for the best male and female athletes for the 2014-2015 school year as determined by all the coaches. The Lady Tiger Award was presented to Savannah Hanning with the Tiger Award for the Boys going to Zayne Kyser. Congratulations goes out for these two fine athletes!
Jacob deGrom was nearly flawless on the mound, giving up just one hit and no walks in eight innings to lead the New York Mets to a 5-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals Thursday afternoon at Citi Field. DeGrom (5-4), last year's NL Rookie of the Year, struck out 11 and retired the final 23 batters he faced after giving up a one-out single to Matt Carpenter in the first inning. St. Louis' Jaime Garcia (0-1) made his season debut, giving up two runs on five hits and walking five in seven innings. It was left-hander's first start in the majors since undergoing thoracic outlet surgery last July to alleviate numbness and tingling in his pitching arm and hand. The St. Louis Cardinals will be playing the Kansas City Royals tonight at 7:00 on KSMO.
OBITUARIES [TOP
Funeral services for Janice Mae “Jan” Starks of Salem, age 69, will be held Wednesday at 1:00 at the Wilson Mortuary in Salem. Visitation will be Tuesday from 5:00 to 7:00. Interment will be in the Cedar Grove Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Funeral services for Patricia Sue “Pat “ Jennings of Viburnum, age 78, was held Saturday morning at 11:00 at the Wilson Mortuary Viburnum Chapel. Interment will be in the Boss Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Potosi Manor.
Funeral services for Dr. Kendall Ray Jacobs of Salem, age 70, was held Saturday at 11:00, with visitation from 10:00 until 11:00 at the Dent County Memorial Chapel. Interment will be in the Mt. Lebanon Cemetery St. Ann Missouri.
A Joint Memorial service for sisters, Martha Hamblin, age 94 and Virginia Covington, age 99, will be held Saturday, May 30th at 11:00 at the Salem United Methodist Church. Interment will be in the Cedar Grove Cemetery.
Memorial service for Frederick Conyk of Salem, age 88, will be held Saturday, May 30th at 1:30 at the Salem Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Arrangements under the direction of the Wilson Mortuary of Salem.
WEATHER [TOP]
Today..Partly sunny,high of 70.
Friday night..Cloudy with a 30% chance of showers, low of 52.
Saturday..Cloudy high near 75.
Saturday night..40% chance of showers, and thunderstorms, low of 59.
Sunday..60% chance of showers and thunderstorms, high of 77. Sunday night..60% chance of rain, low of 64.
