Correspondent

Perhaps only doctors and hospital administrators have ever heard of it, but the nationally known Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) selected Claiborne County Hospital as one of the top 10 hospitals in terms of customer satisfaction. Claiborne County Hospital received an over all customer satisfaction score of 94 and tied for 7th place on the survey along with four other hospitals. The national average score was 67. The HCAHPS survey, published in April's Modern Healthcare magazine noted that the survey focused on customer satisfaction and that customer satisfaction is "just one variable" in hospital evaluation. For example, Claiborne County hospital would not even be rated on scales that focused on transplant surgery or other services that are not performed here.

Two other pieces of good news came out of the Claiborne Hospital Board meeting on Tuesday night, April 22.

Chief Financial Officer Hal Jones presented a financial report that indicated that various scheduling and administrative cost savings changes started earlier in the year are showing positive results. While the year-to-date balance sheet is still m the red, the hospital made a profit in March despite lower than expected patient admissions. Emergency Services, Nursing Home operations, and Home Health operations all operated at a slight profit for the month. The positive balance sheet resulted from a large number of small improvements. This is the second month that the hospital's finances have improved.

Many will also be cheered to learn that the board approved a recommendation by Mercy Health Partners (who merged with Baptist Health Systems) to lure Daniel Colon as the new Hospital Administrator. Colon will be moving from California and has served in various hospital administrative positions during his career. He is expected to arrive in May. The board also discussed various internal control procedures to ensure that Colon gets off to a good start as the new administrator.

In other business, the board approved physician recruitment measures for another "local" physician. Born in Claiborne County, Dr. John Robertson. a graduate of St. George's University School of Medicine, is due to start his residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. this summer. Upon completion of his residency in 2011, Dr. Robertson hopes to join Dr. Day's practice in Harrogate and practice locally.

The board also voted to establish a policy that prevents the hospital from offering discounts to a broad spectrum of community leaders that includes hospital board members. The board unanimously agreed that offering discounts to community members who could pay was a disservice to community members of limited financial means.

The board also approved a suggestion that the hospital administrator investigate an on-line training and certification program designed to improve hospital board management skills and background. Due to the financial and technical challenges facing most hospitals today, several states have instituted training and certification programs for hospital board members.