Canyonlands Health Care Special Service District Board discussed the Canyonlands Care Center’s 2018 preliminary budget report recently and reported that it has a positive financial trend thus far in 2018.
Doug Rasmussen, an accountant with Smuin, Rich & Marsing, said at the district’s Aug. 23 meeting that the care center’s revenue has increased in 2018 over 2017.
Its total revenue increased in the seven-month period between January and July to $1.68 million, up from $1.67 million for the same time period in 2017.
The care center reported $271,952 in revenue for the month of July, compared to last year’s revenue of $220,689 in July of 2017.
Tom Lacy, the business office manager at Canyonlands Care Center, said it’s “very unusual” that the center shows a profit; he said it’s the second time in six-and-a-half years.
“That’s mainly due to two things,” Lacy said. “The increased Medicaid rate went up by $24 a day, and also every day for Medicaid in July was paid to-date.”
Reimbursements made to the care center from Medicaid and private pay insurance are the largest source of revenue for the care center.
Additionally, “The care center added $135,000 in available cash resources, which here again is very positive,” Rasmussen said to the board. “It is a positive increase, you would like to have that happen every year, and hopefully you are working toward that.”
The special service district makes annual transfers to the care center.
“There was a transfer the district made to the long-term care facility into the general fund as $1,453,815,” Rasmussen said. “It’s a positive situation, mostly due to sales tax revenue.”
But, Rasmussen said, without additional money coming in to take care of the care center, the special service district’s transfer to the care center to make up for its deficits was about an $800,000 loss to the district.
Rasmussen told the special service district board, “You need to have additional revenue coming in to take care of this.”
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
In reviewing the district and care center’s budgets and preliminary audit reports, Rasmussen said, “Financial statements are really not what I consider the crux of the matter this year with the district.”
Rasmussen said the district needs to continuously review and revise its policies and procedures, and said the care center’s policies and procedures should be the same as those of the special service district.
“The policies established by this board govern the care center,” Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen said food policies and procedures are an example of a policy the district’s board sets and agrees to.
“One person can’t come to the board, make a recommendation and say this is how it needs to be and then have the board agree to it,” Rasmussen said. “That’s not how it should work. It needs to be brought to this board because that’s where the ultimate responsibility lies.”
Rasmussen recommended that the special service district board review and revise its policies and procedures more frequently.
COMPLAINT SURVEY
Canyonlands Care Center Administrator Kim Macfarlane said a complaint was made recently to the state about the care center that resulted in five “tags.”
The five tags made in the complaint are for notification of changes, reporting, quality of care, accidents and hazards and social services, she said.
Macfarlane said the care center does not know who made the complaint, but said, “This is isolated and someone had some concerns, so we’ll address them and fix them.”
She said none of the tags in the survey “are going to be serious in scope and severity, meaning there will be no monetary fine.”
She said the care center will be audited for compliance and plans to move forward with implementing and complying with necessary changes.
For a complaint to be made, Macfarlane said, “Either we call in ourselves and say we had this development and they notice a pattern and they need to come in and survey us, or someone else can call the state and say, ‘I am concerned about Canyonlands Care Center’ and the state can decide if they are going to come in and survey you right now, or if they are going to wait for the annual survey.”
Macfarlane said the social services tag in the complaint survey was in regard to “(a patient) getting out of the building and ending up at (a downtown restaurant).”
“No one was harmed,” Macfarlane said. “We just need to tighten up a few things.”
Macfarlane said a new security guard and security code box have recently been added to the care center.
The Canyonlands Health Care Special Service District’s next public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 27, at 5:30 p.m. in education room three at the Moab Regional Hospital.
Canyonlands Health Care Special Service District Board reviews financial reports, policies and procedures
“The care center added $135,000 in available cash resources, which here again is very positive … you would like to have that happen every year, and hopefully you are working toward that.”
