Your Generosity Knocked Us Out!

One of the things I love best about my job as a hospital administrator is when I get to brag about the extraordinary level of philanthropic support our medical center has from the community. Grinnell Regional Medical Center is a community hospital and we are very proud of that distinction.

Give me a moment to brag, and you will see why...

• GRMC just completed the most successful annual fund drive in its history raising $378,166. (GRMC serves a six-county rural area of east central Iowa that includes about 19,000 households.)
• A goal was set to raise funds to purchase new anesthesia machines for the surgery department at a cost of $35,000 each. We actually planned to replace them over the next four years as funds were available. Our donors rallied around this campaign and $140,000 was raised to replace all of them now.
• Total giving to all campaigns, the annual fund, special events, grants, and memorial gifts was $731,599 in 2011.

We have amazing partners who are invested in the vitality of Grinnell Regional Medical Center. This community supports GRMC in many incredible ways.

This week, we had an open house reception for donors who donated toward the purchase of these anesthesia machines. I had a chance to visit with the representative of the company that sells this equipment. He made the trip from Minneapolis to be here for the open house. He was impressed and thrilled to be here.

He said what impressed him was that the people of the community raised the funds to make this happen. He also said that the size of the community surprised him. He shared that on his first trip to Grinnell, he expected the community to be much larger because of the hospital and the number of procedures (about 3,685 annually) that our surgery department performs, the reputation of Grinnell College, and the diverse industries located here. He talked about driving around town and being surprised that Grinnell wasn't larger than it really is because it certainly acts like a larger community.

Alex Anderson, one of our anesthesia providers, said it best, "Your generosity knocked us out." I couldn't agree more.

Don't just take my word for it...

This is a great video that was submitted with the application for Grinnell's Blue Zones Project.  It was produced in collaboration with several community businesses and organizations.

A special thanks to:

Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation

City of Grinnell

Drake Community Library

Grinnell Chamber of Commerce

Grinnell College

Grinnell High School

Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company

Grinnell Regional Medical Center

Hy-Vee

Imagine Grinnell



What's a "Blue Zone" anyway?

Guest Blogger: Cory Jackson, manager, Grinnell Regional Wellness and Fitness and co-leader of Grinnell's Blue Zones Project

Stop!
Have you registered your support of Grinnell's Blue Zones Project?

• If you have, thank you!
• If you have not, please do so by going to http://www.bluezones.com/ and click on "I am a citizen."

So, what is all the talk about "Blue Zones" anyway?
Imagine Grinnell as a community where:

• People live well and healthy into their nineties and beyond...
• Residents choose to move naturally using bicycles or walking more often...
• Residents know their purpose, why they wake up in the morning...
• Vegetable gardening is a "growing" pastime...
• Friends regularly meet in walking groups...
• Laughter is often heard...
• A sense of belonging is a commonly held feeling...

"The Blue Zones" is a book written by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic researcher who studied communities all over the world to find those places where residents lived well into their nineties and even longer. Buettner summarized his findings and created the Power 9, a pyramid of nine different small changes in individual lifestyle habits that have a big impact on a community. Grinnell's Drake Community Library has this book in its collection and it can be checked out.

In coordination with Iowa's Healthiest State Initiative, Wellmark and Healthways have teamed up to find those communities in Iowa that also have the traits of these "blue zones." Through an intensive process, Wellmark and Healthways will select three Iowa communities to be designated as Blue Zones.

Right now, 54 Iowa communities, including Grinnell, have submitted a formal application. On February 10, Wellmark and Healthways will announce the 10 communities selected to move on to the next level of the competition, a site visit by the selection committee.

Being an official blue zone brings a wealth of resources to take communities to the next level in their efforts for greater happiness, health, and wellness. The application process has been a great learning experience. We have built a proposal that is collaborative, sustainable, and inclusive. We are already doing great things in Grinnell. We want to focus on making this quality of life truly accessible for all residents. Becoming a Blue Zones community would take us to the next level through greater community involvement and working together to make changes in our community to make it easier for residents to live healthier, happier lives. We need residents to register their support and get involved. We are currently ranked at number 14 in the state for citizen support and our goal is to be in the top ten.  Every vote counts!!

Closing the Book on 2011

As 2011 draws to a close, it's appropriate to reflect on the past year.

In many ways, Santa has been very good to GRMC. We have welcomed many new employees and medical staff members.

We are fully staffed in our internal medicine department with the additions of Drs. Ron Collins and Todd Janicki, who join Dr. Chris Lindgren. This is a magnificient team who will serve the adult medicine needs of the communities we serve for years to come.

Last December, we welcomed Dr. Steven Ellestad to our emergency department. At that same time, we also welcomed Dr. Seanna Thompson as our first OB/GYN specialist. As they each finish their first year here, it is clear that they have distinguished themselves as excellent additions to the GRMC team.

Dr. Soraya Rodriquez rounded out the physician newcomers this year, bringing new levels of service and expertise to the laboratory as our resident pathologist.

Nurse anesthetist Troy Anderson joined his wife Alexzandra (now full time), and Dr. Emge in our anesthesia department in late 2010. We are blessed to have such a caring and expert team serving our anesthesia needs.

Jill Jensen, physician assistant, also joined our team this year. She leads our employee health and corporate wellness efforts. She is also filling in throughout our system during various leaves.

This year is also proving to be one of the best years for the annual fund drive - again showing us how much the community supports the important work of GRMC. The annual fund has raised more than $350,000 to date for operating and capital needs. The annual fund is absolutely vital to GRMC.

From these funds, we have purchased two of four needed anesthesia units for the surgery department, and funds are still coming in to purchase the remaining two. The first two units arrived last week to the delight of our anesthesia providers! In addition, this week we were able to order a much-needed new van for our mobile services unit thanks to gifts dedicated to that service.

The annual fund allows us to distribute 550 bicycle helmets to all third graders in the GRMC service area. Each helmet is specially-fitted for every child.

The Community Care Clinic provided more than 375 patient visits this past year, thanks to gifts made to the annual fund.

We had a great party in September at the Grinnell Municipal Airport with more than 300 guests dancing to the tunes of The Dweebs. Our first Blue Jean Ball raised about $16,000 to support surgical needs.

And back in the beginning of 2011, we installed our first fixed-based MRI in our radiology department. No more going outside in the Iowa winter for an MRI anymore, thanks to more than $300,000 in donations from the community.

As you know, not everything is merry and bright. We continue to face financial challenges. You have heard about our poor Medicare and Medicaid payments. Our challenges are big, but they are not desperate. There are many things to look forward to in 2012.

In January, GRMC will see a significant increase in our Medicare payment rates through a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program. The purpose of the project is to see how rural middle-sized hospitals would fare if they were only reimbursed for their costs when caring for Medicare patients when they are hospitalized. While this covers inpatient care only, it is a welcome increase when GRMC has been reimbursed far below our costs to provide care.

We teamed up with Surgical Associates to bring another new general surgeon to Grinnell - Mathew Severidt, DO will come to our community in July 2012.

We are finalizing an agreement for a new orthopedic surgeon to also join us in the summer.

We have a new nurse practitioner, Jessie Collum, joining Deer Creek Health Center in February.

Gifts from two donors have provided us with funding to finish remodeling the first floor hallway and replace flooring in the cafeteria.

I could go on. The point is, despite difficult times, the staff and volunteers at GRMC continue to work together for the benefit of the people we serve. Good things are happening. The care we deliver is of high quality and efficiently provided. We are proud of our collective efforts to fulfill the vital mission and promise to the people we serve.

Our future depends on many things, but mostly on us, the dedicated and talented women and men who make up our team - supported by an expert and caring medical staff, committed board and foundation board, extraordinary auxiliary, and a very supportive community. We will indeed overcome our financial challenges and continue to be one of the best rural hospitals anywhere.

As the year draws to a close, let me wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, and a healthy and happy New Year!

From all of us at GRMC...

From all of us at GRMC...

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and all the best for 2012!

The Washington Post is on the line, Todd...

It's not every day that a reporter from The Washington Post gives me a call.


A good friend of mine, Sita Ananth, director of knowledge services at the Samueli Institute, was first called by Post reporter, Michelle Andrews. The focus of the article is about how hospitals are using integrated therapies, such as massage and acupuncture. A topic we are very familiar with at GRMC.


In fact, this is not the first time GRMC has had national media coverage for our integrated medicine program. Nearly three years ago, a USA Today reporter came to Grinnell and did a story (read it here) on the positive effects of integrated therapies and featured Anne Stephens, MSOM, LAc and the Acupuncture Clinic of Grinnell. Anne's clinic is located at GRMC's Postels Community Health Park.


This week's Post article * also talks about why hospitals are moving toward more of these therapies. At GRMC we use integrated health to help improve patient outcomes. For example, a preoperative chair massage helps patients reduce anxiety and their IV's start easier and they use less pain medicine after surgery. To me, it is also about helping people stay well in the first place so that if people do require medical care, maybe they won't need the degree of care they might otherwise need if they weren't as healthy to begin with.


I know. That seems contrary to the message you'd expect to hear from the CEO of a hospital, especially when we are all trying to find new ways to generate revenue. However, community hospitals that aren't in the wellness and health improvement business will soon wish they were as we shift from the current fee-for-service reimbursement system to one of being at risk for the health of a population.


We have been engaged in integrated health for more than a decade at GRMC. In this search for finding the best ways to improve health, we are not alone. Some of the most prestigious healthcare institutions in the country also have robust integrative therapy programs like the Mayo Clinic, Kaiser, and the Cleveland Clinic...all world-renowned, highly respected healthcare institutions.


I am glad that the Samueli Institute, who does a comprehensive nationwide survey of complementary and alternative medicine, along with the American Hospital Association/Health Forum, encouraged The Washington Post to "call Grinnell Regional Medical Center about this topic." It is fun to share with America and beyond what our team is doing so well here in Grinnell.


Across the board, to matter the specialty, I am proud of ever single provider, employee, volunteer, and supporter who make GRMC the extraordinary community hospital it is.

* please note, to access The Washington Post article you may have to register. There is no fee to do so.

Buckle your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride

Oh, boy...hang on to your hats!
It looks like it is going to be a bumpy ride for healthcare providers as the federal government wrestles with the deficit. President Obama recently released his recommendations for reductions over the next ten years and compared to MedPAC (the advisory board to Congress on Medicare issues) and the Congressional Budget Office, the President's proposal is the most moderate. But that said, he is still recommending a cut of $320 billion on top of the $155 billion that was already part of the Affordable Care Act. Ouch! This would mean massive reductions in staff and services in the nation's hospitals as a result.
There is no question that if you are going to make a meaningful reduction in the federal deficit you are probably going to have to look at Medicare and Medicaid since they make up such a big part of the deficit. At the same time, when the economy continues to be on the rocks, these cuts will most certainly mean big reductions in jobs in the healthcare sector. This is going to be a tough decision for lawmakers and given the unbelievable partisanship going on in Washington right now, I really don't think an agreement is likely.
Are there any other answers to reducing the costs in Medicare and Medicaid in this country? Sure. There were several huge disappointments in the Affordable Care Act including a total lack of personal responsibility for people to take care of themselves. There is a lot of money in the law for improving health, but little incentive for individuals to be accountable for their own health. Think about it - the law really starts shifting the financial responsibility for improved health to the providers. One of the centerpieces of the law is the Value Based Purchasing (VBP) which incents providers to improve care and reduce costs for Medicare beneficiaries by holding back some of the payment at the front end and letting hospitals compete on improved quality and patient satisfaction scores. The quality measures are moving toward looking at outcomes for Medicare patients and will reward those providers with the best outcomes.
I fully support the government buying healthcare based on value. We actually expect that Iowa providers will do very well with this provision of the law given our high quality scores and lower expenses compared to other parts of the country. However, why not also incent the beneficiaries to be partners in their health? The physician can provide all the right advice to his or her diabetic or hypertensive patients, but if they won't improve their diet or take their medication, the provider gets punished by the system and ultimately there will be no cost savings.
I just got back from Mississippi where the obesity rate is the highest in the country. No offense, but folks there appear to really like their fried food. While I was there, I heard a local doctor on a panel of presenters. He did some of his training in Colorado where they have the lowest obesity rates. He said many Colorado residents like to hike in the mountains and eat granola. It is a concern if Mississippi doctors are going to be evaluated then punished for how well their patients control their diabetes compared to his medical counterparts in Colorado. Shouldn't the patient take some responsibility to be compliant and accountable for their health and the recommendations their doctor makes?
I realize it is going to be extremely difficult for a politician to stand up in front of voters and say, "I am going to work on legislation that will likely have an impact on the lifestyle choices people are making."
The largest and fastest growing part of the federal budget is related to Medicare and Medicaid. I believe it is time for us all to realize that if through taxes we are going to pay for the care of seniors and the poor, we will never afford it if beneficiaries are not required to take some responsibility for living a healthy lifestyle.
In the meantime, if the federal budget is going to be balanced by slashing reimbursements to hospitals and physicians for providing Medicare and Medicaid to a growing population and one that seems to be less healthy, I do believe we are indeed headed for a very bumpy ride.