Changes abound at Weiser hospital
By Brielle Kennington
Argus Observer
Sunday, January 13, 2008 3:34 AM PST
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| Weiser Memorial Hospital has undergone some major changes in the past year, including a change in leadership, involvement in a rural performance management program, financial turnaround and a new sleep study clinic. The man behind the change is Chief Executive Officer Wade Johnson, who was hired at the beginning of 2007. |
Weiser - Officials at Weiser Memorial Hospital view the new year as a time for reflection, change and progress.
One of the biggest changes Weiser Memorial Hospital made last year was a change in leadership. Chief Executive Officer Wade Johnson was hired at the beginning of 2007 in an attempt to turn the hospital around.
Johnson was raised on a farm in Wisconsin and then served a mission in Argentine for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After his mission, Johnson received an undergraduate degree in psychology, pre-med, and then went on to receive a business administration director masters degree from Gonzaga University and his Masters of Science from the University of North Texas Medical Center.
Johnson, who is married with four children, is also a certified health care executive from the American College of Health Care Executives. Before coming to Weiser, Johnson worked as hospital administrative director for Robert Packer Hospital.
“I’ve been all over the country, and there are good things everywhere you go,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s 14 years of expertise has brought many changes to Weiser Memorial Hospital, including some new staff.
“The hospital had lost a lot of money, and the board wanted a leadership change, so I was recruited,” Johnson said.
“The most significant changes were changes in leadership, in my mind. It was the process of getting the right people in the right places,” Johnson added.
Getting the right people in the right places included hiring Chief Financial Officer Tom Murphy, Business Office Manager Rosa Bowling, Community Relations Director Layna Hafer and Chief Nursing Officer Lisa Looney.
Along with new staff, Johnson signed the hospital up for a rural performance management program, which is an online resource that allows smaller hospitals to compare themselves to other smaller hospitals for a $1,000 monthly fee.
Twenty hospitals in Oregon participate, but Weiser Memorial Hospital is the first in Idaho to take part.
Before the RPM, the hospital had difficulty gauging success.
“We had no way of measuring performance,” Johnson said. “It helps to measure improvement by putting in a measuring system.”
One aspect of the hospital that needed a lot of evaluation and reorganizing was its finances. The hospital was in serious debt when Johnson took the position, and it is slowly making a turnaround.
“Over 3 million dollars over the last four years,” Johnson said.
Hospital district voters approved a $2.5 million bond in August, which shifted the hospital’s debt from short-term to a more manageable long-term debt with lower interest.
“In order to turn this place around, we had to restructure debt,” Johnson said. “I think that the hospital’s financial situation will be much improved within five years.
“The hard part is (when) you come into a situation like this, people are stressed and want an easy fix,” Johnson said. “You can’t turn an organization around over night.”
Part of the debt problem came from the expensive machines and equipment the hospital uses.
That is why, in July of last year, hospital administrators added the sleep study clinic situated in the hospital’s specialty clinic.
“We were able to contract for the equipment and technical expertise that is based on a per study cost,” Johnson said. “It takes the risk away, and you are able to provide a needed service to the community.”
The Sleep Study Clinic has the latest technology used to identify sleep disorders. Appointments are made by physician referral, and patients can usually be seen within two weeks, which is one of the goals of the program.
There are many benefits associated with receiving a sleep study, Johnson said. For example, one hospital employee lost 100 pounds after being diagnosed with a sleep disorder. Johnson reported the employee was able to sleep more and have more energy to eat healthier and exercise.
Though the hospital has had a productive past year, administrators already have goals the hospital will be focusing on this year, including people, quality, service, growth and finance.
