And Leah Glasgo, the hospital’s president and CEO, is optimistic those trends will continue in 2020.

“Our financial turnaround is really important so we can be sustainable in the future,” Glasgo said. “When there’s no margin, there’s no mission. We have put in a strong effort in creating a sustainable environment for health care here in the Fort Dodge area.”

Near the end of 2019, Glasgo reported that the hospital’s bottom line was more than $9 million above where it was a year ago.

According to Glasgo, $6 million of the $9 million difference was a result of the hospital’s participation in the provider-based Rural Health Clinic program.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center same day surgery RN Christine O’Brien carries her chili and cinnamon rolls down the corridor during “On a Roll” day. The celebration, which included the chili lunch and colorful socks, was a part of a spirit week to recognize the staff reaching several patient care and financial goals.

The hospital is eligible because of the number of Medicaid and Medicare patients in its care.

Glasgo said any place where the hospital has family practice clinics, a cost report is submitted through a government-run program.

Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services oversees the program.

The hospital is then paid the difference between the normal fee and the cost for the hospital to care for its population.

The other $3 million saved is the result of expense reduction, Glasgo said.

One example is when UnityPoint ended its MD anesthesiology coverage earlier this year.

She said that results in a $1.7 million annual savings.

Productivity standards and expense reduction in medical supplies are other reasons for the savings, according to Glasgo.

Glasgo said one position at the hospital was eliminated in recent months, while she said other open positions may not be filled.

In 2018, UnityPoint ended the year with a $6.8 million deficit.

The hospital is trending in the right direction from more than just a financial perspective.

Glasgo said patient experience scores have improved.

And more specifically, Glasgo said for the past 20-plus weeks, the hospital has scored as one of the cleanliest in the UnityPoint system.

Trinity Regional Medical Center is scored through the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, which is a patient satisfaction survey required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Alyssa Stanek, the hospital’s senior marketing communications specialist, said leadership has made a difference in the hospital’s improvements.

“We have been working on a lot of good things since Leah has gotten here,” Stanek said. “She has helped to drive us in the right direction.”

Glasgo has emphasized a greater involvement in the community since she became the leader of the hospital one year ago.

“We have really made an effort to give back and be part of our community,” Glasgo said. “We have really put effort into helping our neighbor around us through fundraising efforts and community events. We really hope we impact our community in a positive way.”

One continuing challenge is reimbursement, Glasgo said.

In recent years, reimbursement has increased slightly while expenses have increased by about 3 percent.

That directly impacts the hospital’s bottom line. But Glasgo said that it’s a trend that has impacted all rural hospitals.

“This is happening all over the country,” Glasgo said. “But because we have a higher Medicaid and Medicare population, we are impacted more significantly.”

About 70 percent of Webster County is made up of Medicaid or Medicare patients.

“We are working very closely with state and federal government with funding strategies,” Glasgo said. “We just have to continue to work alongside them to come up with creative solutions to keep health care in our rural communities.”

At one point in 2019, the UnityPoint Health organization, based in Des Moines, was set to merge with Sanford Health, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. But that agreement was scrapped by UnityPoint.

“Our organization concluded that we can most effectively continue our mission by maintaining our current structure,” Glasgo said. “We are in a strong and competitive position for the future.”

Officials from UnityPoint said the organization will not resume the negotiations it previously had with Sanford.

Also in 2019, UnityPoint experienced growth in the area of orthopaedics.

In June 2019, a new orthopaedic partnership was formed with the Center for Neurosciences, Orthopaedics & Spine, based out of Dakota Dunes, South Dakota.

“Our orthopaedic service continues to grow,” Glasgo said. “We started out with one physician one day a week. Then a physicians assistant came on and the clinic is now open every day.”

A second orthopaedic surgeon is set to join the team this month.

“This program will be developed over the next three years,” Glasgo said. “We are on the path we projected to grow the service.”

Glasgo said she envisions a bright future for the hospital in 2020.

“We have performed very well in 2019,” she said. “We improved patient experience, improved financial admission and reduced readmission rate. We feel like we have been able to mitigate any challenges headed our way. We want to continue to sustain the positive work we have had for 2019 into 2020. With our goal to deliver best-of-class care here in the Fort Dodge region.”

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