Eureka Springs Hospital’s May 2 workshop focused mainly on staff updates with Velvet Shoults, who works in nursing, giving a report. Shoults told commissioners that the Arkansas Department of Health would be visiting on June 4 requesting chart reviews, physician peer review, and operation meeting minutes for the years of 2022, 2023, 2024, and first half of 2025. She said the department would find deficiencies.
Shoults explained that she had failed to find physician peer reviews, chart reviews, and operation meeting notes for the years of 2022 and 2023, “I’ve been through every desk, every filing cabinet, every notebook, and I found nothing.” She explained the Arkansas Department of Health would cite the hospital for that, but the hospital would have an opportunity to show improvement within the next year.
Shoults said that since February, the hospital has had procedures for performing and recording chart reviews, operational meetings, physician peer reviews, trauma education, and other necessary items that must be tracked for ADH. She clarified that all of those actions may have been taken during that period, but she simply could not find it properly recorded.
Commissioners’ main concern was that the citation would affect Rural Emergency Hospital designation and grant money. Shoults explained it would not hamper either. She said that the ADH would return in the next year to review procedures after a record of trauma trainings and other items were completed.
Shoults also told commissioners that staff is currently working on getting patient charting to the depth they want. Currently staff works with a template that she described as “bare bones” and more in-depth charting means the hospital would have access to more patient information as they assist a patient.
Pinnacle IT has been working with the hospital for IT upgrades and pitched to the hospital that they pay an extra $3,000 a month on a $7,000 a month contract to have a Pinnacle IT staff member on site.
Hospital CFO Cynthia Asbury said that currently, any IT issues that require Pinnacle means waiting for an employee to drive more than hour to arrive at the hospital. She said that much of her day-to-day is spent dealing with IT issues because of it being easier than calling the company for minor issues, but that there is still a staff member there two to three times a week.
Chair Sandy Martin pointed out that the hospital is planning a “huge upgrade of equipment” in the early fall and that the hospital will need someone there to assist with anything that breaks because of the upgrade. Commissioners asked if the additional cost to have the employee present 5-days a week would match the cost of when the hospital had two IT techs on staff. Asbury said once you factor in benefits and salary, the hospital would still be spending less to contract the employee than they did when they had two techs on staff. The actual decision is an administrative one and does not require commission approval.
Other Items
- Martin read an email that was sent to the mayor recently praising hospital staff for the treatment of an ER visitor to the hospital.
- The commission is looking to have a budget workshop in the near future, floating early June, July, or August as the time to hold it.
- Visits to the ER have been climbing with January visits at 119, February at 122, March at 126 and April at 139. Commissioners took it as a good sign that people were willing to continue to visit the hospital when in need.
Arkansas Children’s Hospital will hold Arkansas Burn Life Support classes soon, bringing the classes to Eureka Springs. Cost for healthcare workers to become ABLS certified will be covered with grant funding