A hospital in Blythe under county management to keep it open is fiscally stable through next year as it sees a mare emergency room patients compared with last year, officials from the Riverside University Health System Medical Center and Clinics said Thursday.
The long-term fiscal outlook, however, still projects multimillion-dollar spending deficits.
RUHS officials provided a detailed report on the stabilization and assessment work at the Palo Verde Hospital, highlighting the facility’s clinical, operational, financial and regulatory needs during the hospital’s Oct. 7 board meeting.
Under an agreement between the county and Palo Verde Healthcare District, the bankrupt business entity that manages the hospital — RUHS has managed the only medical facility in the area for miles around since Feb. 23, when the hospital was on the brink of closure in a matter of days. The management aspect of the county’s bailout ends Nov. 21, officials said.
Since the agreement started, an RUHS “strike team” has overseen day-to-day operations at Palo Verde Hospital. Several of those RUHS managers also serve in interim leadership roles at the hospital.
“RUHS was brought in at a critical time with a clear objective, and the amount of work accomplished in a short period of time has been extraordinary,” Jennifer Cruikshank, CEO of RUHS Medical Center and Clinics, said in a statement. “The hospital’s immediate position is more stable today, and many of the foundational processes needed tosupport safe, reliable care have been rebuilt or strengthened.”
Stabilizing the hospital
Officials reported work at the hospital has included:
- Passing the hospital’s “DNV accreditation survey,” which is the regulatory body that ensures that the hospital is delivering safe care to the community;
- Transitioning the hospital’s Emergency Department to Vituity, a physician group that also serves RUHS, bringing 26 board-certified emergency medicine physicians who provide 24/7 coverage;
- Reducing the average time from arrival to being seen by a health care provider in the Emergency Department from about 42 minutes to less than 13 minutes;
- Staffing the Emergency Department without temporarily assigned “travel nurses” for the first time in more than 10 years; and
- Completing 21 major facilities projects, including a new roof and repairs to the cooling and backup power systems. Officials said that work by RUHS staff saved more than $250,000 compared with using contractors
RUHS helped Palo Verde Hospital avert the immediate risk of closure early this year and implement financial reporting and management processes that previously were not in place. The county’s bailout also helped secure about $7 million in grants and financial relief, “giving the hospital an additional 18 months of cash and financial runway, through at least June 2027, creating the stability, time and financial visibility needed for the District to determine its long-term path forward,” officials reported.
“When we looked department by department, the same needs showed up almost everywhere,” RUHS Chief Nursing Officer Leah Patterson said in a statement. “Pharmacy, the lab, radiology and respiratory therapy each needed updated policies, reliable equipment and stronger processes. Department leaders and hospital staff have spent the past seven months addressing those needs.”
Patient volume is growing amid the county’s assistance effort. In August, the Emergency Department saw an estimated 30 patients a day, about 27% more than a year earlier.
“It had been more than two years since this Emergency Department received training,” Lisa Mackie, RUHS director of nursing for emergency care, said in a statement. “Our nurses went through skills days and competency training to help ensure staff can safely and confidently perform critical emergency care skills.”
Assessing the Hospital
The assessment gives the PVHD Board a full picture of where the hospital stands as it plans for the future, officials said. It found that costs continue to exceed revenue, with an estimated annual operating gap of $5 million to $10 million and more than $20 million in possible liabilities. The hospital currently relies on about $7 million a year in grant funding from the state and federal governments.
RUHS also outlined considerations for the hospital’s long-term sustainability and potential operating models for the District Board to weigh. Decisions about the hospital’s long-term future rest hospital board members. RUHS officials intend to continue to support the hospital through the end of its management, according to a statement from the Healthcare District.
The full presentation is available online via tinyurl.com/36a24spd.
The hospital is operating under an agreement in February between the Palo Verde Healthcare District and the county. The agreement’s initial six-month term ran through Aug. 21 and was extended through Nov. 21. While RUHS provides temporary operational support for the Emergency Department and other hospital departments that support emergency care, the PVHD remains the licensed hospital operator and owner.