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Hospital Sets Records In 2001
In 2001, Cozby- Germany Hospital was the busiest it's been since Bill Rowton, Hospital Administrator, arrived in 1994. Both admissions and outpatient visits were up 30 percent over the previous year, and the previous year was great. Several things have contributed to the double-digit growth in utilization the hospital has experienced over the past few years. When Mr. Rowton came to Cozby-Germany, the board of directors and the medical staff felt they needed to add doctors and services if they were to provide care for the patients in the area. They began identifying services that were needed and looking for doctors. The major hurdle was money to finance new equipment and office space for the new doctors once they were found. Mike and Linda Monk told Truman Heddins, Board President, they would donate the old Ben and Neva's Flower Shop to the hospital if the hospital would move it. The offer was graciously accepted, the building was moved and remodeled, and a doctor's office became available. About two months after the remodeling was completed, Kerry Kindle, of Economy Drugs, told Mr. Rowton he had gotten a call from someone in Dallas asking if he knew of an available doctor's office in Grand Saline. It turned out to be Dr. Khalid's associates wanting to put in a senior health center. Shortly thereafter, the clinic became a reality in the building that was donated by Mr. Monk. The hospital still needed doctors' offices and money for the equipment. With the direction of Congressman Ralph Hall and the help of our local USDA Rural Development office the hospital applied for and received a low interest loan through the United States Department of Agriculture to build two new office buildings and to finance the equipment. The process took a year and a half, but was very much needed. Now the Rural Health Clinic occupies one of the new offices, where Jerry Crane, Physician Assistant, sees patients under the direction of Dr. Ingrim. Dr. Massey began practicing in 2001 in the office vacated by Dr. Marsh. The services added since 1994 are numerous. In 1994, a mobile CT scanner visited the hospital weekly. The owner of the mobile unit, Dr. Harold Smitson, a radiologist, donated the scanner to the hospital in 1998. Since then, CT scanning has been available full-time. A newer unit replaced the donated one in 2000. Ultrasound has gone from an outside service, where someone had to bring equipment from Tyler to perform studies, to an in-house service providing exams as needed. Echocardiography and vascular studies are also available in-house. Bone density study capabilities were added to the CT scanner a couple of years ago. The laboratory equipment is now all computerized. All the instruments are connected through a common network for reporting and quality assurance purposes. Surgery is often done with an electronic camera inserted through a hole in the abdomen rather than through a large incision, the method used in conventional surgical procedures. Twenty-four hour EKG's, or Holter scans, used to be recorded on cassettes, similar to audiotapes. Now they are recorded digitally and read on a computer. If a radiologist's interpretation of an x-ray or CT scan is needed during the hours he is not in the hospital, an image of the film can be sent to his office or home via computer in a matter of seconds. The radiologist can then read the film on his computer monitor and contact the doctor requesting the reading by phone, or he can dictate a report to the hospital via phone to the digital transcription equipment. Specialty physicians visit the hospital weekly or every other week. They include a general surgeon, an orthopedic surgeon, a cardiologist, a urologist, radiologists and gastroenterologists (GI doctors for short). The GI doctors use the hospital's state-of-the-art electronic cameras to view and take pictures of the inside of patients' digestive tracts, and perform corrective procedures. One of the hospital's prize accomplishments was obtaining a three year certification of the Emergency Department by the state as a Level IV Trauma Center. This was first accomplished in 1998, and a three-year recertification was obtained in 2001. To meet the standards set by the state, all doctors working in the emergency department must be ATLS (Advanced Trauma Life Support) certified. This requires the doctors to obtain special training and to pass a test. The hospital now contracts with a group of physicians to provide 24-hour coverage, and they meet this standard. Nurses in the department must have special training as well. There are services that have been around for quite some time that some people probably aren't aware of. Special Care, or outpatient geriatric psychiatry, began in 1993. Cardiac Rehabilitation has been around about as long, and pulmonary rehabilitation has been recently added. Cozby-Germany Home Health Services, which began in 1985, is still going strong. Mobile mammography units from Tyler visit the hospital at least monthly, and have for several years. What has resulted from this growth in the medical staff and hospital services is growth in utilization. In 2000, admissions to the hospital increased 39% over the previous year. As unbelievable as that was, 2001 saw an increase of 30% over 2000. Admissions for the month of January 2002 set an all-time record for admissions for the month. All of this has happened because of the work of MANY people, according to Mr. Rowton. The board members, the doctors, the employees and the community are all involved and contribute extensively. Cozby-Germany isn't the norm for small hospitals these days. It's the exception. many small hospitals are struggling because of reductions in Medicare and Medicaid payments, a national shortage of personnel trained in hospital services, increased insurance premiums, and an increase in the number of uninsured patients. Cozby-Germany considers itself very lucky to have the community support it enjoys. An example of support the hospital receives, according to Mr. Rowton, is as follows. A couple of years ago Billie Davis, a retired operating room nurse and hospital board member, decided to make something happen that she had talked about for some time. She said she wanted a hospital auxiliary. Now CGH has one and at last count there were over 50 members. They raise funds and help remodel patient rooms and purchase hospital equipment. They recently paid for remodeling two more patient rooms, put new carpet and furniture in the lobby, and are going to pay for a new stretcher for the Emergency Department. They also put up awnings at the hospital entrances and bought a plate warmer so food will stay warm while being transferred from the kitchen to the patients. Van Zandt County and Grand Saline have a hospital because the people want it, explains Mr. Rowton. The hospital has been in operation for 55 years, and with this kind of support, will probably be operating 55 years from now. |
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