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Additions will Give Community More Options in Surgical Care
Daviess Community Hospital’s Board of Governors met for their regular meeting on October 27 and received an update about physician recruitment activities for surgery, family medicine, a hospitalist, and a psychiatrist.
John Rossfeld, CEO reported that recruitment in surgery has been successful with a new general surgeon and a certified nurse anesthetist beginning work at DCH next week.
Dr. Albert Tuono, General Surgeon, will open his practice at the hospital on November 1st. During the past few months, Dr. Tuono has been providing surgical care at the hospital when Dr. John Clayton, General Surgeon, is away from the facility. He specializes in general, laparoscopic, laser surgery, and wound care and will be providing those services here. His office will be located in the DCH Medical Clinic in Washington and all surgical care will be provided at Daviess Community Hospital.
Also, Paul Anwiler, CRNA will return to DCH and work in association with the hospital’s two Anesthesiologists, Dr. Jacqueline Graber and Dr. Daniel McCarthy. Anwiler, a certified registered nurse anesthetist, left the hospital for a short time to work in Terre Haute and will return to DCH on October 31st.
“Dr. Tuono’s arrival coupled with the continued expert care provided to our patients by Dr. John Clayton as well as our anesthesia team of Drs. Graber and McCarthy and Paul Anwiler, will help us meet our community’s need for surgical services,” says John Rossfeld, Interim CEO. “We are pleased to announce this development at DCH.”
In other areas of recruitment, Rossfeld reported some progress in the recruitment of a third hospitalist. He also said that Dr. Bryan Porter, DCH Family Medicine physician in Odon is making contact with students in area medical school programs. With the general surgery recruitment complete, the Board re-prioritized the focus by adding a pediatrician recruitment effort in order to meet the growing need for pediatric medical care in the community. Physician recruitment of family physicians, a hospitalist, and a psychiatrist will continue as well.
September patient days were 206 under budgeted numbers and for the year, admissions were 3.4% less than prior year. Revenue from outpatient services, including lab, physical therapy, and imaging services, were up for the month and above budget. Efforts to trim salary expenses were effective and resulted in $122,000 savings for the month.
Hospital earnings for the year remain below budget predictions. Year-to-date earnings before reductions for interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization are 2.7% of net revenue, or $920,111, compared to a budget forecast of 9.4%.
Finally, the Board was introduced to the hospital’s new Vice President of Nursing, Brenda Sturm. Sturm assumed the position on October 17th. She holds a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. In her most recent position she began as the Chief Nursing Officer at Torrington Community Hospital in Torrington, Wyoming and shortly moved into the role of Chief Executive Officer. Sturm and her husband and daughter are moving to the area.
Daviess Community Hospital, Daviess County’s second largest employer, provides a broad spectrum of quality healthcare services for people living in Daviess and surrounding counties in southwestern Indiana. A not-for-profit facility with 80 beds, Daviess Community Hospital provides a life span of health and wellness services including a modern birthing center, emergency department, general and orthopedic surgical services, and expert diagnostic lab and imaging services. Over 550 employees and physicians work at the hospital and in our area medical clinics, delivering skilled medical care professionally and with a personal touch, earning the hospital numerous awards for exceeding customer expectations. Learn more about our services, employees, and physicians by visiting www.dchosp.org.
Mission: Improve the health of the people who live in our communities.
Vision: To be a leader in providing quality healthcare services.
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