Top-quality medical staff and employees, a modern facility, and a positive bottom line were among the strengths mentioned by those presenting at Columbus Community Hospital and Foundation’s annual meeting Monday, January 16 at the Cardinal Ale House in Columbus.
“It’s a time of change in healthcare and you need a group of people that are progressive,” said John Russell, CCH President and CEO. “We’ve got the right group.”
CCH Board of Directors President, Bob Lange, commended CCH’s medical staff for their ability to work together to provide the best care possible for patients. “I don’t think anybody has as cooperative of a medical staff as we have here. It is quite an exceptional group.”
CCH recently completed the third phase of a five phase master facility plan. The project included remodeling of the hospital’s women’s and childbirth services department, pharmacy, sleep lab, respiratory therapy, EKG, and swing bed unit. The over $7 million project came in on time and under budget, according to Phil Roberts, CCH Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance. A portion of this project was funded through about $300,000 in donated funds generated by a capital campaign.
“A positive bottom line allows us to reinvest in capital equipment and continue facility improvement,” said Roberts. “Part of this positive bottom line is the result of donations and contributions from community members and businesses.”
CCH served more than 26,200 outpatients and 770 inpatients in fiscal year 2011. ER and Urgent Care visits increased by 10.2 percent.
Over the past year, CCH also completed the implementation of an electronic health record system, which also came in under budget. Russell thanked St. Mary’s Hospital for their involvement in the process. “It’s our connection to St. Mary’s that made it possible for CCH to have Epic as our electronic health record.”
Dr. Gary Galvin, general surgeon and chief of medical staff, commended the hospital administration for their commitment to modernizing the facility and continual efforts to recruit new physicians to serve patients. “The new women’s and childbirth services area includes a same floor C-section suite, allowing a more streamlined approach for the patient and family.”
Recruitment is also underway for an additional obstetrics physician, who would join the efforts of Dr. Mark Torres, OB/GYN and Dr. Jerry Miller, Family Practice with OB.
The newly remodeled sleep lab and cardiopulmonary area on the hospital’s second floor was a result of a growing need for the services, according to Dr. Galvin. “Dr. Nazi Khan (pulmonology and sleep medicine) continues to expand our services in that area, which is unusual for a hospital our size,” he added.
Additional growth has taken place in the area of orthopedics. Dr. Robert Coe has joined the Dean Clinic in Columbus and is currently accepting new patients. “This will provide more continuous orthopedic coverage in Columbus and will give much better service for patients on site,” said Dr. Galvin.
Madison Radiologists began serving patients of Columbus Community Hospital in the summer of 2011. “They are a larger group of physicians offering expanded services,” said Dr. Galvin. “They are able to do more invasive procedures, which we were previously required to transfer to Madison. Now we can do those procedures right here in Columbus.”
