Montrose County Commissioners attended a meeting with Basin Clinic representatives March 22 in Naturita. Then, Christina Pierce, the clinic’s executive director, gave several updates regarding the facility’s status, and commissioners followed along with a packet of information.
Pierce said the Basin Clinic has made staff changes already, and those are reflected in the budget. Currently, the clinic is undergoing an ongoing internal analysis, and Wednesday meetings continue to focus on strengths and weaknesses. Input from staff and the clinic’s board of directors go into the analysis.
The board has said patients report being disappointed to not see the same medical provider consistently. Now, the clinic is working to recruit an additional provider. That could happen as early as July.
Still, housing remains an issue in the West End for recruiting new employees, since there are few rentals, or the inventory is not suitable for families.
The clinic data shows it has reduced overall personnel costs by 10 percent, but there has been some backlash from the community over that.
Accounting is something Pierce said is getting straightened out through Quickbooks and the Athena software. The Athena program helps the clinic look at data and continue to increase patient revenues, specifically because of billing and coding.
Last year, the clinic saw 721 fewer patients, but still there was a 16 percent increase in revenue. Pierce said adding an additional provider will also increase revenue, but even more is that it will help serve the community.
Commissioner Mark Caddy said Pierce and the board must remain focused on keeping the clinic open. Pierce admitted rumors exist that the clinic will close, but that is not true.
She’s looked into funding with The Colorado Health Foundation, but current grants require a different focus, and Basin Clinic cannot make big adjustments to “fit their mold” at this time.
Commissioner Sue Hansen suggested the clinic go for economic development funding and to ask for as much as is needed.
Pierce is also working on updating insurance policies, getting bids from other places. She said the clinic can’t continue with the same policy holders.
“We have to change, or the premiums go up and up and up,” she said.
Strengthening the collections process is also something Pierce is working on regarding billing, including how to work with people and get them on payment plans when medical bills are tough.
Reimbursements are also a key part of the clinic’s current work, and Dr. April Randle, the chief medical officer, and Pierce are working with spreadsheets of reimbursements. Pierce has a goal of reaching out to payers and renegotiating contracts with them. Already, the contract with Rocky Mountain Health Plans has been been done.
“I am completely impressed,” Caddy said.
Hansen asked the board how they felt.
Don Colcord said he was concerned about the budget. He said he doesn’t know how they’re supposed to evaluate staff positions. The clinic has done what it can with the administrative positions, and now they’re looking at the clinical side.
“It’s hard to evaluate clinical staff needs,” he said.
He added he hoped rural public health would assist with that process. The board wants the process to be fair and just in a small community where eliminating positions can be stressful.
The Basin Clinic has updated its budget at least five times in the last year.
