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VAN DYKE -- The approval of an
experienced internal medicine physician to the hospital and clinic
medical staff and the acquisition of two new hospital laboratory blood
analysis units were the major items of business undertaken at the
December special called Hospital District Board meeting.
Five members of the Board of Directors of
the Comanche County Consolidated Hospital District, president Gale
Easley and members Joe Locke, Karen Petty, Charles Mazurek and Billy
Ray Evans, were present for the Wednesday, December 19 meeting. Janna
Morris was absent.
Some of the others attending the meeting
included Chief Executive Officer Kevin Storey, Chief Financial Officer
Tom Letz, Human Resources Director Peggy Jordan, Materials Manager
Rick Sanchez, Lab Manager Sarah Anderson and Administrative Assistant
Kathy Johnston.
The first agenda item was a public
hearing on the taxation of goods in transit. No one was present with
questions or comments. Following the conclusion of the public hearing
the Board acted on a motion by Charles Mazurek, seconded by Joe Locke,
to adopt a resolution that goods in transit as defined by law shall
remain subject to property taxation as has been the case in the past.
The Board then adjourned into executive
session for the consideration of various medical staff appointments.
At the conclusion of the executive session, Charles Mazurek offered a
motion to approve the appointment of Joe C. Hubbard, M.D. and the
reappointment of Larry Bragg, M.D. to the medical staff of Comanche
County Medical Center, as recommended by the Hospital's medical staff.
Joe Locke seconded and the vote of approval was unanimous.
The reappointment of DPMs. Quinton
Solomon and Leslie Rowe was not acted upon subject to the conclusion
of credentialing work currently in process.
The next order of business involved Kevin
Storey's request for authorization to seek public bids on the
replacement of the roof on the portion of the old Comanche Hospital
building that has been retained by the District. Storey noted that
water leaks were causing damage to the ceiling and carpeting in
affected areas.
Storey said that informal cost estimates
he had received from various roofers were in the $25-30,000 range for
conventional flat roofing, and closer to $50,000 for membrane roofing.
In either instance, the existing roofing would be removed down to the
decking and replaced.
Board discussion centered on the less
expensive roofing option. Charles Mazurek offered a motion for the
District to take public bids on the roof replacement work. Karen Petty
seconded and the vote of approval was unanimous.
The final agenda item concerned the
administration's recommendation for the purchase of two new items of
analysis equipment for the hospital laboratory.
Rick Sanchez stated that he was
recommending the lease of a new blood coagulation system and also a
hematology system. He distributed cash purchase quotes on the two
items.
The coagulation system, which carries an
extended list price of almost $65,000, was being offered for sale at
$28,995. The hematology system listed at $195,000 and was offered to
the hospital at $66,000.
Sanchez said the two units could be
leased for $544 and $1,351 per month, respectively. He noted that an
X-ray unit that had been financed was recently completed on payments
and that the cost of that payment was almost the same as the proposed
new lease payment.
Sanchez added that the cost of reagents
used in the two systems was fixed for the five year period of the
lease, as were end of lease costs, and that there were no minimum
volume requirements to be met or recourse obligations, unlike on the
previous equipment leases.
Sarah Anderson said the recommended new
coagulation system is refrigerated for on-board reagent storage, has
lower consumables costs, is more efficient in the utilization of
consumables, and has additional analysis capabilities including
testing for deep vein clotting with the ability to produce a clear
negative result, and has an onboard computer that saves operational
time. She concluded, "It's cheaper to operate, plus it has improved
services."
Anderson also noted that the existing
hematology unit is 11 years old, no longer manufactured and that parts
for it are becoming hard to find and expensive. The proposed
replacement unit does not offer dramatic operational cost savings,
however it does have additional analytical capabilities that are very
much desired by the physicians. It will also produce results on those
newly available tests in an hour, rather than a minimum of 24 hours to
as much as 72 hours as at present.
Sanchez noted that the acquisition of a
new chemistry analyzer, which they had been looking into for some
weeks and months, was not being recommended at this time because of
the high cost of buying out the contract on the existing chemistry
analyzer. Both he and Anderson noted that the hospital needed an
improved chemistry analyzer, however, and that the matter would remain
under review.
Returning to the recommended equipment,
Sanchez stated, "For $1,895 (per month), I think it's a heck'uva deal
and ask the Board for approval to go forward." He described both as
cutting edge technology that is not only current, but will be upgraded
as additional capabilities are developed. He added, however, that at
the end of the five year lease that the hospital should not renew and
obtain more modern equipment that would be available at that time.
There were several questions on various
aspects of the proposed equipment leases and further discussion and
examples of savings that have been achieved on leases of existing
equipment.
At the conclusion of the discussion, Joe
Locke offered a motion to approve the two proposed leases, Charles
Mazurek seconded, and the vote of approval was unanimous.
Billy Ray Evans noted that the Comanche
County Health Care Foundation had approved last week the purchase of
an updated patient monitoring system for the hospital's intensive care
unit, and added, "There's a lot of things taking place to improve this
hospital." |
