Medical Center's Community Benefit Report Released

Grinnell Regional Medical Center provides more than $7.9 million in community benefits to the GRMC service area, according to a recently completed assessment of those programs and services.  That amount, based on 2013 figures, includes $1.2 million in free or discounted community benefits that GRMC specifically implemented to help area residents. It also includes $854,961 in uncompensated Medicaid care, $4.9 million in uncompensated Medicare services, and $819,527 in bad debt (services to individuals who did not pay and did not qualify for charity care). These numbers are in the medical center’s annual report released earlier this month.

Community benefits are activities designed to improve health status and increase access to healthcare.  Along with uncompensated care (which includes both charity care and bad debt), community benefits include such services and programs as health screenings, support groups, counseling, immunizations, and community support.

The results for GRMC are included in a statewide report by the Iowa Hospital Association (IHA) that shows Iowa hospitals provided community benefits in 2013 valued at nearly $1.3 billion, including more than $335 million in charity care.  All 118 of Iowa’s community hospitals participated in the survey.

“The 2013 community health needs assessment identified areas for health improvement in the GRMC service area,” explains Bill Menner, GRMC board president. “In addition, the changes in mental health service providers in 2013 created a large opportunity for GRMC to help individuals, however, funding for mental health services remains woefully below operational costs. Our mission is to serve and care for residents. If they can’t afford care, we work to enroll them in a charity care program. The new billing program installed in 2013 makes this process faster and easier for individuals who need assistance.”

Community benefit also reaches beyond the direct healthcare services. GRMC supports the community with giving bike helmets to every third grader in the service area, participating in health fairs, hosting the Senior Education Program, organizing support groups, and sponsoring health related events. GRMC also provides support to after-prom parties, advance directive courses, community CPR classes, and other community health services.  

At the state level, the ability of Iowa hospitals to respond to such needs is affected by many factors including managing huge losses inflected upon by Medicare and Medicaid, totaling more than $314 million.  More than 60 percent of all hospital revenue in Iowa comes from Medicare and Medicaid. Hospitals serving rural communities and counties are particularly dependent on these programs. GRMC lost $4.9 million to Medicare and $.8 million to Medicaid in 2013.

Iowa hospitals continue to implement strategies that increase value to their patients and communities by offering high-quality care to individuals, addressing the health needs of identified populations, and implementing process improvements that bend the cost curve.  By seeking out ways to raise quality, reduce waste and increase safety, Iowa hospitals have become value leaders, as shown in multiple studies by the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care and the Commonwealth Fund.

“GRMC’s commitment to bring the best care to area residents is seen in the addition of new robotic surgical unit, new technology, and new electronic medical records system for patients.  When one combines the community benefits this study highlights, it all adds up to a very good value for those we serve,” says Todd Linden, GRMC president and CEO.

Hospice to Offer End-of-Life Training Class

Grinnell Regional Hospice will host a hospice volunteer training for residents in the GRMC service area. This class is intended for people who are interested in learning more about end of life issues and care. The training will be two days, Wednesdays, Oct. 22 and 29, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., in GRMC’s Light Center for Community Health, 306 4^th Street, Grinnell.

“Attendees of this training program learn key issues that a patient faces when nearing the end of life. Our intent is to help individuals who will be caregivers or support caregivers for these individuals,” says Sheena Huls, hospice volunteer coordinator.  “The education provided during the 12-hour training really has value for everyone. We all face death and many help friends and family through the process.”

Huls also notes that though there is no obligation to become an active volunteer after completion of the course, Grinnell Regional Hospice often has individuals who choose to volunteer with its program.

Training speakers include JR Paulson, MD, medical director; Sara Wray, RN patient care coordinator; Keith Morrison, chaplain, and Beth Gallegos, LISW, GRMC social worker.

There is no cost to attend this class. Lunch is provided to all participants. Hospice does need reservations to ensure enough materials and food. Please reserve a space by calling Sheena Huls at 641-236-2418 or email at shuls@grmc.us.

GRMC Auxiliary Fall Luncheon

The Grinnell Regional Medical Center Auxiliary invites everyone to the annual fall luncheon scheduled for noon on Wednesday, October 15, in the Buckley Dining Room on Park Street in the Mayflower Community, Grinnell.

The agenda for the meeting includes: the election of 2015 officers and board members, updates on projects at the hospital and auxiliary, and door prizes.

Tickets are $8 and available in The Glass Gift Box – the GRMC gift shop - or call the GRMC volunteer office at 641-236-2588. 

Pool Concessions Changes Successful

The beach towels have been shelved and the last doggy dip taken at the Grinnell Mutual Aquatic Center for the 2014 season.

Although pool attendance suffered due to summer weather patterns, concession sales did not.  A Community Transformation Grant (CTG) administered through Grinnell Regional Public Health (GRPH) assisted Grinnell’s Parks and Recreation Director Kelly Rose in finding healthier choices to offer at the center’s concession stand, and pool patrons responded.

Rose agreed to the CTG pilot program last spring and reports at season’s end that the changes made to concessions were successful.  She explains, “I was interested in participating in the grant because we want to promote wellness and healthy choices.”

With the help of Grinnell Regional Medical Center’s nutrition therapy department and the local grant team, Rose examined products offered by vendor Automatic Beverage of Des Moines.

“We went through the available list and looked at items that qualified. Portion control was one of the main criteria. I’m also very particular about items that won’t clog gutters with packaging or if they are spilled and have to be picked up,” Rose says.

Rose chose several new items to add to the concession selections such as trail mix, almonds, and an expanded variety of granola bars. She also eliminated some other offerings for reasons of packaging or portion control.

Because of the positive pool patron response, Rose says she will continue to evaluate healthy choices in the concession stand next season and encourages others to consider similar moves.

Rose says, “The process is so easy—I would encourage any business owner who has a vending machine to take a look at what they offer. One little change can make a difference for patrons to choose instead.” 

Rose points out that the aquatic center has offered other healthy incentives during its first five years of operation, including reduced admission for those who walk or bike to the pool.

The Poweshiek County Transformation Grant funds the promotion of system level and community design changes, worksite wellness, community complete-street initiatives, community-based food environment projects, and smoke-free multi-unit housing initiatives to improve the health of residents in the county. It is administered locally through GRMC.

Dr. Coster Performs First Surgery in Iowa on da Vinci Xi Robotic System at GRMC

David Coster, MD with Surgical Associates of Grinnell, completed a complex diaphragm hernia repair using the new da Vinci Xi surgical robotic unit at Grinnell Regional Medical Center. This is the first surgery in the state on this advanced model.

Other surgeons, Nick Kuiper, DO, and Mathew Severidt, DO, both of Surgical Associates, completed surgeries on the Xi during the week. Monica Brito, MD, gynecologist, will perform her first surgery within a week on this new unit.

 “The device has been redesigned and made ‘smarter’ from the ground up. We can do complex minimally invasive operations in the entire abdomen and chest with greater ease, and with more safety features than have ever been available in the history of surgery,” Coster says.

What’s different with the new unit? The robot has many enhancements that make it “smart.”  It is lightweight and much easier to position over the patient. An overhead arm advances, rotates, and moves side-to-side to line up exactly with the camera using a laser sight. The redesigned trocars, devices that provide access through the surgical incision, attach to the robot more quickly and easily than the previous design. Once attached, the push of a single button moves the arms into optimal position for the operation. The range of motion of the arms and instruments has been increased significantly to allow the surgeon to work in a much broader field. The instruments are longer, allowing for optimal reach. The robot’s arms are more slender and can be placed more closely together, making it possible to work easily on smaller people.

The speakers and microphones have been moved and modified so the surgeon and GRMC surgical team hear each other better from their various work locations. The camera is extremely light and always in focus. The field of vision is deeply magnified and three-dimensional. The robot automatically adjusts to optimal lighting.

Coster explains that the visual screen has been modified to give the surgeon much more information about what each arm is doing, what instrument is loaded on the arm, and where the instrument is in relation to the field of vision. A multitude of new safety features gives the surgeon constant feedback and prevents any technical instrument errors. The cutting devices that use energy have been redesigned to create exact surgical precision with no blood loss. These and other surgical instruments on the new Xi have been redesigned for optimal performance. 

As technology continues to improve, new features coming include robotic stapling devices and a feature known as Firefly. This tool lights up various internal structures with fluorescent color to help clearly identify anatomy. 

“The Xi is amazing not because of a single new innovation, but dozens of small improvements made throughout the system based upon surgeon feedback about the previous model, the Si,” Coster says. “We loved the Si and thought it was the most amazing surgical device ever invented. Nevertheless, the Xi has so many improvements it almost makes the Si look primitive. This is the sort of invention that changes the world.”

 GRMC leased the original da Vinci Si, installed in January 2013 thanks to a major lead gift from Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company, its foundation and employees. GRMC was able to upgrade to the new Xi and keep the cash flow the same for the first four years of the lease. This is a cost neutral upgrade with significant benefits for patients and their surgical team.

Grinnell State Bank Supports GRMC Campaign

Grinnell State Bank has made a $250,000 pledge to Grinnell Regional Medical Center’s Moving at the Speed of Life comprehensive campaign. The gift has been made in memory of Marion A. Jones and will create The Marion A. Jones Patient Care Wing.

“We felt very honored as a family when GRMC proposed naming a wing after Mom,” says F. Austin Jones, son of Marion and F. Addison Jones. “It is meaningful to us, and we are sure it would be with her, too. We also appreciate that this wing is located beneath the Kintzinger Women’s Health Center, named for her very dear friend, Jewel Kintzinger Day.”

In the spirit of encouraging greater community participation in the campaign, Grinnell State Bank is issuing a challenge. The bank is giving $100,000 to the medical center as an outright gift and then will match dollar-for-dollar every new gift to the campaign up to a total match of $150,000.

“This gift provides a tremendous opportunity for donors to see their gifts double in value,” says Todd Linden, GRMC president and CEO. “Our success in this effort will bring us closer to being able to begin renovations on our emergency department. This is truly a remarkable gift. All of us at GRMC are grateful for this wonderful act of generosity by the Jones family. It is also an understatement when I say how thrilled we all are to be naming one of our first floor patient wings after Marion, who has played such a vital role in the medical center’s history.”

As the first female president of the hospital’s board of directors, Marion Jones led the organization through many tough decisions. She helped hospital administrators move toward increasing the hospital’s outpatient care services.

“There is no question that Marion Jones had a profound and lasting effect on GRMC,” Linden adds. “She served as board chair through a very difficult period.  Her excellent leadership during this time with the board, the medical staff, and the community as a whole was pivotal to keeping the hospital open.”

In addition to her eight years of service to the Grinnell General Hospital board of directors, she was a tireless member of the auxiliary and an active fund-raiser for the hospital. She and Kintzinger Day organized several successful hospital charity balls and together they turned the gift shop into a profitable money maker for the auxiliary.

“From fundraising activities, auctions, and fairs, Jones demonstrated her belief that the cause was one that all area residents should support and have fun doing so,” Linden says. “She believed strongly in engaging the wider community as hospital supporters. Her efforts built a level of community philanthropy that is extraordinary and enviable for many hospitals and community organizations.”

The Jones family, led by Marion’s husband, Addison, continues her legacy of commitment to GRMC through this major gift and challenge in her memory.  The Jones’s grandson, Fitzpatrick A. “Rusty” Jones, currently serves on the GRMC board of directors. He is the fourth generation of the Jones family to serve on the board of directors for the hospital that is now known as GRMC.

 F. A. Jones, Addison’s father, served on the board of directors of Community Hospital. A major gift from Grinnell State Bank and the Jones family to GRMC’s Blueprint for Health campaign in the mid-2000s is now helping GRMC establish a new home for its physical and occupational therapy services. Construction on the F.A. Jones Physical and Occupational Therapy Center will begin in October on the first floor of the Ahrens Medical Arts Building.

 “We owe a great deal to Marion and Addison Jones,” says Dan Agnew, co-chair of the Moving at the Speed of Life comprehensive campaign. “The Jones family and the employees of Grinnell State Bank have always been vital supporters and promoters of the hospital. GRMC enjoys extraordinary community support that is enviable by other hospitals. Their efforts to engage the entire community to support the hospital is a very big part of why we enjoy a superb hospital today.”

Gifts to the Grinnell Regional Medical Center’s Moving at the Speed of Life comprehensive campaign are making possible:

§  Extensive renovations to the emergency department to modernize it.

§  The creation of an urgent care clinic.

§  The creation of a new chemotherapy and infusion department.

§  The purchase of a state-of-the-art daVinci^® surgical robotic system and new CT scanner.

§  Renovations to Postels Community Health Park to accommodate GRMC’s growing wellness program.

§  The replacement of equipment for obstetrics and radiology departments, patient rooms, and nutrition services.

For more information about making a gift to the Moving at the Speed of Life campaign and to participate in the challenge, please contact Denise Lamphier, director of communications and development, at 641-236-2589 or dlamphier@grmc.us.

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Medication Take Back Scheduled for Sept. 27

Grinnell Regional Medical Center’s Pharmacy department and the Grinnell Police Department will offer the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Anyone may drop off expired and unused medications on Saturday, Sept. 27. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

As part of a national campaign, GRMC and the Grinnell Police Department are partnering to help dispose of prescription pills safely and correctly. This community initiative hopes to make homes safer by preventing prescription medication abuse. It also helps prevent the consumption of expired or inappropriate drugs. Anyone may bring medications for safe, proper disposal between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Spring Street side of the Grinnell Public Safety Building, 1020 Spring St.

 “This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue,” says Lisa Hart, PharmD, GRMC pharmacist. “Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Our goal is to reduce the risk of drug misuse and protect the environment.”

The medications that are brought in during this one-day national blitz will be incinerated. This is considered the safest manner to dispose of medications.  The collection site will accept all medications – pill, powder, or liquid form. They cannot accept “sharps,” which are needles, syringes, and lancets.

GRMC will have a pharmacist available at the collection as well as a Grinnell PD officer.