Allen County Hospital has room to grow — patients, that is.
Of the possible patients in its surrounding area, the hospital attracts only 43 percent.
“It should be 70 percent,” said Joyce Heismeyer, ACH chief executive officer since April 2008.
The hospital loses patients primarily to Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center in Chanute and to Coffey County Hospital in Burlington. For 2009, 374 Allen County patients sought treatment in Chanute; 173 in Coffey County.
A healthy monthly count at the hospital is 125 patients, Heismeyer said. “You can make good money,” with that number, she said.
Summer counts have averaged 75 patients at ACH.
“Terrible,” Heismeyer said, adding “you must allow for our morbid sense of humor.”
But even with the low counts, the financials have remained healthy, said Jim Gilpin, a member of the Allen County Healthcare Committee. Gilpin said the hospital ended 2009 with a 9 percent profit margin, a number which Heismeyer did not dispute, and which comes in around $1.2 million.
Heismeyer agreed the hospital is a money-maker. She said the previous hospital she worked for in northwest Arkansas — she declined to name it — averaged a 5 percent profit, which was “lean. It’s hard to recapitalize yourself” with that amount, she said. “There are no cheap toys in health care.”
RECAPTURING the lost market boils down to having a new hospital, Heismeyer said.
She counters the argument of the county’s declining population as making a new hospital unnecessary to the role health care plays in an area’s survival.
“Without a vital hospital, a town starts dwindling,” she said. “If we lose this hospital, it’s the death sentence for our town.”
A prosperous hospital is also the third leg in what props up a community along with good schools and infrastructure.
“Without good health care you don’t have the luxury of keeping the other two,” she said.
Heismeyer cited a recent news program that polled opinions of the most liveable U.S. cities in which to retire. Good health care was named the No. 3 reason people selected a location. Raleigh, N.C. was the top-ranked city. Its Duke University was the No. 1 draw, followed by attractive parks and then its renowned university medical center.
A new hospital will not only serve to attract retirees, but also those of child-bearing age, Heismeyer said. Neosho Memorial often captures new mothers because of its birthing facilities, she said.
A new facility will also attract health care professionals, Heismeyer said. Part of the reason the hospital’s patient numbers are down is the lack of a general surgeon on staff. An orthopedic surgeon also would greatly boost inpatient quotas. Labette Health in Parsons is the frequent destination for those needing surgery to repair broken bones.
PULLING IN patients from Humboldt and Yates Center is a goal, Heismeyer said.
Besides a new hospital in Iola, Heismeyer sees eventually establishing clinics in Humboldt and Yates Center staffed with full-fledged physicians. Currently, a part-time physician assistant, Mark Harms, works at Ashley Clinic in Humboldt. Ashley also has a presence in Yates Center staffed by Karen Hayes, a nurse practioner.
For 2009, only 57 Humboldt residents were inpatients at Allen County Hospital; 52 were from Yates Center.
Heismeyer also sees “finding a niche” in health care as a draw to the hospital. She mentioned several of its unique services for this area, including lymphedema treatments for those who suffer from swollen arms and legs, a sleep studies facility and its new wound care center.
Digital mammography should be available by year’s end, she said.
She also touts the hospital’s Joint Commission Accreditation, a strenuous classification of hospitals, without which “I would hesitate to be a patient,” she said. ACH is the only hospital within 75 miles of Iola to receive the accreditation, “which probably means more to health care professionals” than the public at large, Heismeyer admitted. The nearest hospital to have JCA is Cass Regional Medical Center in Harrisonville, Mo.
