RLMC discusses plans

Haley said the 14-member RLMC board two weeks ago unanimously approved an eight-point resolution that outlines “a footprint of how we want to work together and continue to repair some of the mistrust that has clouded some decisions over the years.”

The resolution recommended that the board not, at this time, act on the affiliation proposal presented by Essentia Health in June. Instead, the resolution says intermediate steps, detailed in the other seven points, first be taken. 

The Rainy Lake Medical Center Hospital board approached Essentia Health to integrate its health care system in 2009. A new board was established with half the members appointed by Essentia and half appointed as local members.

Following the Essentia proposal in June, the local board members voted against full integration with Essentia, with the board recommending discussions about specific issues with Essentia officials.

“The only decision the Falls trustees have to make on their own, with input from everybody, is to give Essentia the hospital,” Haley said. “Right now, it’s more important to have a good medical community and we’re all working together.”

Short-term and long-term goals have been established and tasks in a action plan have been assigned, said Haley.

 Since an August meeting about the status of the RLMC, Haley said two things have been accomplished: A plan to implement Essentia’s electronic medical record system and a committee assigned to physician recruitment.

“We will keep the community involved and informed,” said Haley, adding that people may call or email him about questions.

Haley said the last five years have brought some roadblocks to implement the electronic medical record system. “Dr. (Dan) Nikcevich and I have been able to clear those away,” Haley said. Nikcevich serves as Essentia Health president and chief medical officer of the East Region.

The cost to the hospital to implement the system is about $1.5 million, a major investment for the hospital, said Haley.

But Haley said it will allow physicians to review records of patients in the RLMC hospital, patients who must go to St. Mary’s in Duluth for further treatment, and of patients at hospitals anywhere in the United States that uses the same system.

“It will really provide a lot more information to physicians, both the local ones and the ER (emergency room) physicians and physicians that cover our inpatient,” he said. “It will be another step toward the integration model and I think that is a very big step.”

The next big thing in process of being accomplished is physician recruiting, said Haley.

“We’ve lost two full-time physicians in the last three or four months and the board has established a physician recruting/retention committee,” he said.

When a candidate who is interested in moving their medical practice visits the community with their family, Haley said, “not only is it important to recruit the physician, but it’s equally important to recruit the family.”

The committee, he said, wants to be able to provide more community involvement in recruitment efforts.

“We want to have a list of people we can call upon for dinner, lunch or some other event who would have the same aged children as the candidate, some similar interests, be able to talk about the community from their perspective — not just the medical perspective — in trying to sell the candidate to come to practice,” said Haley.

Haley said he’s used similar community involvement committees in other places and it’s been successful because it not only helps recruit candidates, but provides a link to the community through acquaintances and friendly faces when doctors and their families move here.

The candidate would be “shadowed” for a period by their host contact to ensure they know where churches, schools and other community services are located.

“A lot of times we get wrapped up in our own lives and it’s easy to forget a newcomer,” he said. “We want to reach out and say this is a community effort and responsibility to help us all recruit the good physicians we want to take care of us and our loved ones.”

Haley said the committee will conduct its first meeting soon. “It’s so important to have this as community involvement, not just medical involvement,” he said.

As other tasks in the action are completed at the end of the year, Haley said more information will be available to the community.

“Next year, we can start quarterly or bimonthly a report card to the community saying how we’re doing on these things, we call pillars,” he said. “We want this to be more and more community involvement, especially in physician recruitment”

Haley said progress is being made. “The board is very focused on the future and are looking at all the options that we can work closer and closer together with Essentia and the community,” he said.

Haley said the priority now is implementing the electronic medical records system and securing additional physicians.

The average daily census — how many people are in the hospital — is around eight to 10, said Haley.

“Even if we spent $20 million on a new hospital, we’d still have only 8 to 10 patients in it,” he explained. “In order to pay for it and make it viable for the community, we need to make sure we keep the priorities and the priority is physician recruitment.”

Additional physicians would allow people more opportunity for care locally, rather than leaving the community for the care. And, Haley said, more specialists, a day or two a month, would be available because of a larger draw.

Meanwhile, Haley said the obstetrics gynecology locum doctor plan is going well. It was prompted by a shortage of doctors in the area providing prenatal care, resulting in RLMC discontinuing for a period late-term prenatal care and baby delivery services.

“This is a decision the board made because they felt for woman pregnant who start labor, driving 100 miles is a hardship,” he aid. “They wanted to avoid that hardship as much as possible.”

Dr. Denise Warren, and another physician who will start Jan. 1 and be here for six or seven months, provide the service. When the locum doctor is not available during a two week per month period, Haley said local physicians have stepped up to the plate to take deliveries.

“We want to do everything we can to keep this service because of what it means to someone in labor,” he said. “Whether it’s their first child or fourth child, it’s still a very scary part, especially knowing you have to drive as far as you do (to another facility) and babies come when they want.”

Haley said RLMC will also try to build the gynecology practice services, most of which are not available locally. 

“The hospital is doing OK,” he said. “There are very few openings on the professional side and we continue to keep the LPN (licensed practical nurse) school for their rotations, so they have a local hospital to do their clinics in and that’s successful.”

And Haley said morale continues to improve at both at the clinic and hospital. A Halloween Day potluck lunch drew most all of the staff, he said. 

“It’s good to build that cohesiveness throughout the organization,” he said.