The Cuero Regional Hospital has been preparing non-stop for the changeover of electronic medical records, occurring at midnight on August 1, according to CEO Lynn Falcone.
“We have been eating, sleeping and breathing Meditech Expanse,” Falcone told the board of directors at their regular meeting on July 25. She said all training of personnel on the new system is complete and a command center to troubleshoot glitches will be operational during the transition.
Falcone said that at 11:30 p.m. on July 31st, a preload of records will begin, then at 12:01 the switch over will happen.
The hospital management acknowledges the transition may be bumpy, but the new system will integrate records between the clinics and hospital. Healthcare providers will have instant access to information between departments for more efficient treatment. However, unauthorized entities will not be able to access records with the new, state-of-theart encryption system protecting them.
In a press release the hospital asks for the public’s patience and understanding during the transition, emphasizing the longterm benefits of the change.
Other items discussed at the board meeting included the renovations of the operating rooms (OR) as well as the labs and pharmacy; a return payment of $1.1 million to the state after reconciliation of charity payouts and a proposed tax rate.
Blair Hensen with Roberts & Morton updated the board on the OR renovation, which had just had a state inspection. He indicated a full response was ready for the items pointed out by the inspector.
Hensen also indicated that work on the lab and pharmacy renovation needed authorization in order for supplies to be ordered and arrive in time and for pricing to remain consistent with the estimates.
The project will have several phases and since the lab and pharmacy will need to be operational throughout, they will need to move locations during the construction. The estimated cost is between $2.8-2.9 million and the completion time is approximately nine months.
The board approved the request for material procurement for the pharmacy and lab renovation.
In the financial report, CFO Alma Alexander reported that the state is requiring a return of $1.1 million to the Texas State Health and Human Services after a reconciliation of charity accounts ranging back as far as 2005.
Alexander explained that this happens to hospitals all over the state. She said sometimes hospitals receive funds after the reconciliation. Board members expressed concerns about not being able to count on funds if the state will ask for them back.
“That’s no way to run a railroad,” Faye Sheppard, vice-chairman of the board, said. She said that Uvalde hospital was expected to return $3 million and that rural hospitals that are struggling cannot afford those swings in budgets.
Alexander said that in her previous experience with the HHSC fund return, they notified the hospital, then expected payment the following year. This time, payment is expected in the same budget year, she said. “But we’re in a strong position and we do have cash to pay this.”
The last major business was a discussion of the 2025 tax rate after the recent certification of valuations by the county appraisal office. The board proposed a lowered tax rate of .18633 from last year’s rate of .21400. Whereas last year an average hospital portion of taxes on a $250,000 home would be $535, the new rate would be $465.
The proposed rate will be posted on the Cuero Regional Hospital website at the bottom of the homepage. A public hearing will also occur before the rate is approved.
The next regular meeting of the hospital board is August 22 at 5:30 p.m.
