The 25-bed safety-net hospital saw its net patient revenue climb from $53.7 million in fiscal year 2016 to approximately $60 million in fiscal year 2017. Additionally, the hospital’s total operating income increased 6 percent to $76.4 million.
In addition to the gains in revenue, Lewis County General Hospital CFO Jeffery Hellinger attributes the surplus to a receipt of $8.2 million in intergovernmental transfer payments, which help reimburse healthcare facilities for losses taken from charity care, uninsured patients and Medicaid, and a $1.1 million payment from a state safety-net program for critical access hospitals.
While inpatient admissions dropped year-over-year from 1,269 to 1,153 and observation cases fell from 677 to 623, the hospital’s outpatient service cases rose by 1,061 in fiscal year 2017. The hospital also owns a 160-bed nursing home facility, which saw 88 more patients in 2017. The hospital’s home healthcare service also saw a boost in 2017, with a 27 percent increase.
“It ended up being another positive year,” Mr. Hellinger told the Watertown Daily Times, noting that there is still room for improvement, as the hospital has been without a 24-hour orthopedic service for the past year. He said bringing back the round-the-clock service would help boost surgical and other ancillary services.
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