The Cordova Community Medical Center has added five new services for patients amidst struggling financial times and added challenges with operating in a rural community.
In the summer, CCMC signed a contract with a speech therapist who is currently helping nursing home residents. They have visited about twice so far, with planned quarterly visits.
The speech therapist is also working on doing telemedicine, with appointments to be provided through a telecom.
In November, the medical center began selling durable medical equipment through a contract with Prodigy Medical. Prior to this service, CCMC staff would hand out equipment, but were unable to legally bill for it. The license required to provide such services is expensive, which meant the medical center lost out on any possible revenue.
Through Prodigy, CCMC is now equipped with crutches, wheelchairs, CPAP machines, braces, beds and any other type of medical equipment that patients might need outside of the hospital, said Scot Mitchell, CCMC president and chief executive officer.
A sleep clinic has also been introduced and, since its November start five patients have taken part in the clinic, which is available for both adults and children.
Prior to its implementation, Cordovans had to travel to Anchorage for a single overnight sleep study, used to help diagnose sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, said Mitchell.
Now, once recommended by a doctor, patients will be sent home with Philips’ Alice NightOne, a small, portable sleep testing device, which staff at CCMC will teach the patient how to use.
The data collected from the at-home test is then sent to Peak Neurology in Anchorage, where neurologists interpret the sleep study information. A report is then developed with recommendations for types of treatment, if needed, and sent back to Cordova.
“It’s definitely something that will be helpful to the community,” Mitchell said.
Both a pediatrician and occupational therapist are also planned to begin offering services in early January.
Due to the changing and limited Ravn Alaska flight schedule, Cordova’s visiting pediatrician, Dr. Susan Beesley, is now unable to service Cordova. The community has been without a pediatrician since the spring.
The medical center is currently working on licensing and expects to be ready to offer pediatric services after the first of the year, with plans of initial quarterly visits and the possibility of future monthly visits, Mitchell said.
The occupational therapist was signed about three weeks ago to provide outpatient services and services to nursing home residents. Planned visits are roughly once per quarter.
In 2019, CCMC’s Community Health Needs Assessment will be updated. The assessment, last updated in 2016, included comments from 500-600 residents whom participated in the survey, plus key informant interviews and community forums.
“The biggest thing was lack of continuity in staff here,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell, who arrived at CCMC in June 2016, was the third CEO that year, he explained.
Administrators have managed to turn that around and have increased local staffing, which also adds to the economy in Cordova, he added. In addition, a new chief financial officer joined the staff this week.
CCMC is still struggling financially though. “This year with the fishing season being as bad as it was, it was also bad for us too,” Mitchell said.
As required by law, certain services must be offered 24/7 which adds to the growing expense of operating a rural hospital and nursing home. Even so, the center’s financial expenses now are less than in 2016, although their level of service remains high.
In 2017, CCMC was awarded the Alaska Nursing Home Excellence in Quality Award from Mountain-Pacific Quality Health.
“I’m really proud of our staff and the care that they provide,” Mitchell said. “It’s excellent.”
