St. Helena Hospital Announces Changes to Foster Long-Term Growth

5/21/2009 - St. Helena Hospital Announces Changes to Foster Long-Term Growth

Terry Newmyer, president/CEO of St. Helena Hospital, announced the introduction of an aggressive new business model to improve the hospital’s financial stability and growth opportunities. As part of this, 28 positions plus 12 that are not currently filled are being eliminated.

“These changes will not in any way affect the high quality care we provide to the community,” Newmyer said. “We are facing the same economic pressures as most other health care providers. However, we have identified key areas of growth where there is significant opportunity to improve our finances and enhance our health care services in the Napa Valley.”

St. Helena Hospital is responding to economic pressures that are affecting hospitals across northern California and the nation. This includes a 57 percent reduction in reimbursement rates made last October by Medi-Cal, the state health plan for low-income individuals.

St. Helena Hospital, unlike many other organizations, is not reducing employee wages or health benefits, Newmyer said, adding that the hospital is part of Adventist Health, an 18-hospital system that is “A” rated by Fitch Ratings and has weathered the economic crisis well.

To craft its new business model, the hospital reviewed all of its programs and identified cost-savings opportunities that could reach $3 million yet this year and an annual savings of $8 million by 2010.

“As our growth initiatives succeed, we expect to add as many jobs as we are reducing, if not more, in the very near future,” he said.

Several service areas have been earmarked for rapid growth, including:

Emergency Care: The hospital’s emergency department has the shortest wait time in the North Bay, a patient satisfaction rating above 93 percent, and is led by a Harvard-trained physician.

Cancer Care: The new Martin O’Neil Cancer Center will open this fall on the hospital campus and offer comprehensive care all under one roof, including the most advanced radiation therapy available. Three cancer specialists have been recruited to lead the center’s medical team.

Outpatient Surgery: The outpatient surgery center is expanding into a new building shared with the cancer center to handle increased demand for day surgeries, including growth in orthopedic procedures.

Cardiovascular Care: A new cardiac catheterization lab is being added to the Heart & Vascular Center this fall that will provide the latest imaging technology to cardiologists to diagnose and treat coronary artery and peripheral vascular disease. St. Helena Hospital serves as a regional cardiovascular center for four counties and received the 2009 Five Star Award for Coronary Interventional Procedures from HealthGrades, a national hospital-rating organization.

“Our physicians and employees have contributed together to make this plan possible and put us on the right track to advance our mission and serve the community for another 130 years,” Newmyer said.

Source: St. Helena Hospital (St. Helena Hospital News and Events)

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