Horn of plenty
Ida Grove hospital builds to meet growing health care demands
By Tim Gallagher, Journal staff writer | Posted: Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Terry Venteicher of Ida Grove works on the brick supports which frame the new emergency entrance of the hospital in Ida Grove. (Photos by Jean Hofmann)
IDA GROVE, Iowa - You can’t drive through Ida Grove on Highway 175 and not notice the construction going on at Horn Memorial Hospital on the east side of town.
What began three years ago continues. It won’t end until 2008.
With more to follow.
It’s what Administrator Dan Ellis calls progress.
“We did a feasibility study and market analysis before we began the project and tried to project area health care needs in 20 years and the demands that would put on our facility,” says Ellis. “We feel like now we’ve been able to keep pace with the demand that’s growing in our area and we’ll have a facility that will be able to serve people well for at least a couple of more years.”
The project, which was broken into three phases, paid dividends in 2006 as a new surgery center, completed in January 2006, helped boost surgical procedures by 15 percent during the year. The first phase addition wasn’t confined to a surgery center; it also saw the construction of a physical therapy area, administrative offices, conference rooms and a supply room.
Phases two and three have been in swing since August.
“The current phase involves renovating the majority of the existing building to accommodate growth in the emergency room and outpatient services,” Ellis reports. “We’re updating our kitchen, business office, pharmacy and medical records area. I would guess it would be early 2008 when it’s finished.”
L&L Builders of Sioux City serves as general contractor for this $5 million project. Funds were raised through donations to the hospital foundation and via tax exempt revenue bonds from area banks.
The project will help Horn Memorial recruit and retain professionals for its 140-member staff. It also demonstrates the board’s commitment to the future, while providing a much more efficient and appealing environment for patients and staff.
“The next issue we want to consider is renovating and modernizing our patient rooms and converting as many of those as we can to private rooms,” Ellis says. “The trend in health care is moving to private rooms. That’s an expectation patients often come to the hospital with. They expect to see a more hotel-like environment.”
The standard two-patient room that had been the case for generations is becoming a thing of the past.
Horn Memorial Hospital, like 82 of the 116 hospitals in Iowa, is classified as a critical access hospital, one limited to 25 beds. Those hospitals experienced a Medicare reimbursement change in 1999 that has, in effect, paved the way for this kind of project.
“At best we were getting around 60 percent of charges reimbursed by Medicare,” Ellis says. “Medicare (since 1999) now reimburses you for 1001 percent of the costs of in-patient care. That’s allowed many rural hospitals to fund major building projects. Most of us didn’t have the resources for years to finance those based on what Medicare was reimbursing us.”
So, while the level of service hasn’t change, the brick and mortar has.
“We won’t add rooms (in this project) and, based on our census, we don’t want to reduce,” Ellis concludes. “It’s just about right for Ida Grove and Ida County.”
What began three years ago continues. It won’t end until 2008.
With more to follow.
It’s what Administrator Dan Ellis calls progress.
“We did a feasibility study and market analysis before we began the project and tried to project area health care needs in 20 years and the demands that would put on our facility,” says Ellis. “We feel like now we’ve been able to keep pace with the demand that’s growing in our area and we’ll have a facility that will be able to serve people well for at least a couple of more years.”
The project, which was broken into three phases, paid dividends in 2006 as a new surgery center, completed in January 2006, helped boost surgical procedures by 15 percent during the year. The first phase addition wasn’t confined to a surgery center; it also saw the construction of a physical therapy area, administrative offices, conference rooms and a supply room.
Phases two and three have been in swing since August.
“The current phase involves renovating the majority of the existing building to accommodate growth in the emergency room and outpatient services,” Ellis reports. “We’re updating our kitchen, business office, pharmacy and medical records area. I would guess it would be early 2008 when it’s finished.”
L&L Builders of Sioux City serves as general contractor for this $5 million project. Funds were raised through donations to the hospital foundation and via tax exempt revenue bonds from area banks.
The project will help Horn Memorial recruit and retain professionals for its 140-member staff. It also demonstrates the board’s commitment to the future, while providing a much more efficient and appealing environment for patients and staff.
“The next issue we want to consider is renovating and modernizing our patient rooms and converting as many of those as we can to private rooms,” Ellis says. “The trend in health care is moving to private rooms. That’s an expectation patients often come to the hospital with. They expect to see a more hotel-like environment.”
The standard two-patient room that had been the case for generations is becoming a thing of the past.
Horn Memorial Hospital, like 82 of the 116 hospitals in Iowa, is classified as a critical access hospital, one limited to 25 beds. Those hospitals experienced a Medicare reimbursement change in 1999 that has, in effect, paved the way for this kind of project.
“At best we were getting around 60 percent of charges reimbursed by Medicare,” Ellis says. “Medicare (since 1999) now reimburses you for 1001 percent of the costs of in-patient care. That’s allowed many rural hospitals to fund major building projects. Most of us didn’t have the resources for years to finance those based on what Medicare was reimbursing us.”
So, while the level of service hasn’t change, the brick and mortar has.
“We won’t add rooms (in this project) and, based on our census, we don’t want to reduce,” Ellis concludes. “It’s just about right for Ida Grove and Ida County.”
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