31-01-2025
DCH passes licensing test
Jan. 31—Daviess Community Hospital has passed a key accreditation test. DCH received a visit from the Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation last week.
The visit came just a couple of days after the local hospital executive in charge of dealing with the joint commission resigned and while the hospital continues to search for a chief executive officer.
Despite the disadvantages hospital board chairman Deron Steiner says the hospital performed well.
"You want to see how people respond when they are most stressed. That will tell you their true character," he said. "We had some changes but our people responded. They have the confidence and responsibility to respond and do it very well. The joint commission findings and the survey reflected that."
Steiner says the results of the visit show the day-to-day excellence of the hospital.
"You do not operate your hospital to be ready to pass a joint commission inspection," he said. "You spend every day being the best you can be and if the joint commission comes in, they come in. Our facility is going to be that good on that day and that good tomorrow and the next day. You don't just operate to prepare for the joint commission once every three years. You prepare every day."
The commission did find some deficiencies that the hospital has begun working on to fix.
"Probably 70% of the hospitals will wind up with findings against them," said Steiner. "We were pretty typical. Their findings are very minor."
The joint commission will revisit the hospital within 30 days to check on the progress of the corrections.
"Most of the things were taken care of before they left," said Steiner. "It was something they saw and reported and we are fixing it and they are going to come back and check it."
In other business, the board received a report from Larry Shots who heads up the Mobile Integrated Health Program.
The program has grown considerably after starting from zero a little more than two years ago and now serves just short of 200 patients per year.
Hospital officials call the program one that is successful, but needs a funding source. Currently, the program is paid for by a grant that runs out this summer.
"It would be great if it could pay for itself. It is him and a nurse. It is a great program. Some of the most important things we need are not funded at the level they should be," said Steiner. "This program is designed to keep people who are discharged from the hospital from being readmitted. That is the focus to try and keep people from running back to the emergency room. We need to look at it from the idea, does it save enough revenue to support it?"
The hospital board also heard a report on the activity of the Daviess Community Hospital Foundation.
The hospital foundation is a fundraising arm of the hospital.
One of its biggest efforts during the past year was a capital campaign to raise $1 million dollars. It managed to raise $750,000 which is the largest amount ever raised by the foundation.
In other campaign and events, the foundation raised an additional $274,000 with $13,000 being used for scholarships and $5,000 for education bonuses for new hires.
In the coming year the foundation will be having a number of events including the annual Derby Day event and the golf scramble. The 5K run is going to be dropped and replaced with a pickleball tournament.
